Rejected Reality
by The Paper Wolf
Summary: I don't own Gargoyles just this story! All rights go to their respected owners! Bronx, Brooklyn, and Lexington are out on patrol one night and meet a new friend! Who is she? What is she hiding? Well, there's only one way to find out! Go ahead... and see what happens! Brooklynxoc He needs the love, doesn't he, girls? Set somewhere in season 3
1. Dancing in the Dark

Chapter One: Dancing in the Dark

 _Use your voice,_

 _when you have to choose!_

 _Don't blame me,_

 _if you don't get it!_

 _The ones who get it,_

 _will get it._

 _You've got to fight_

 _just to make it through!_

 _Say it if it's worth saving me..._

Tonight was a normal night for Brooklyn. There was nothing going on and he was bored just sitting around and watching Bronx run around in circles as he and Lexington were out patrolling the docks. Elisa had told the clan of rumors about a creature swimming in the waters around and had the captians and their men on edge. It wasn't like their was much to do with crime slow tonight. However, the threat of local hoodlums wasn't their only problem, the Quarrymen also had it out for them as well. It made things especially difficult for them to venture out into the world like they normally did.

Brooklyn came out of his thoughts when he saw Lexington rushing up towards him with Bronx hot on his trial. Brooklyn knew the two were playing out near the docks, but he couldn't figure out why they were running towards him now. Well, that may be, but once Lexington regained his breath, he looked up at his older brother with excited eyes.

"There's a girl out on the docks singing!" The smaller gargoyle called out in a delightful tone; hoping up and down with excitement."She's sounds so amazing! You've got to hear her!"

Brooklyn chuckled and got up on his feet. "Alright, 'll check it out, but then we need to be heading on home." He conceded as they made their way towards the trees. He watched Lexington dash up the tree and took off. He looked down at Bronx with a friendly smile. "I'll scoop you up when I get into the air, okay, Bronx?" He asked in a lightened tone as he made his own way up the side of the building.

And with that, Brooklyn jumped off the side of a building and scooped Bronx up and carried him off across the warehouses. Lexington led the older male towards the site where he saw the girl sitting out on an empty port; singing out loud to no one.

The song started out with just a kind of sad tone; singing a haunting tune as she looked out to the ocean. It seemed to really make Lexington happy because he was smiling and swaying with the lyrics. Bronx seemed to enjoy the song as well because when the second in command looked down at him, he could see his little nub wagging quickly. The girl in question was a natural at the instrument, but Brooklyn really wasn't interested in the song that was being sung, he was more into the singer. He was amazed at how well she was singing. She couldn't be any older than 17 or 18!

The girl was most likely albino with hair as white as Brooklyn's and skin that was so pale it was nearly transparent. Her clothes were black which contrasted against her pale features. He caught a second of a glance at her face and saw that she bore an unruly scar on the side of her face and when her eyes opened ever so slightly, he saw that she had red eyes; making her albino appearance even more authentic.

Lexington tilted his head in confusion. "This wasn't the same song she was singing earlier." He said in a disappointed tone; watching the girlkicking her legs back and forth over the edge of the port.

"It sounds almost sad..." Brooklyn replied in a sad tone; not taking his eyes off the girl.

' _ **There's a low rock wall,**_

 _ **by the cliffs of Mohar.**_

 _ **Runs from down on the ground,**_

 _ **right up to the sea air.**_

 _ **As a child, I would climb,**_

 _ **to the top of those stairs,**_

 _ **and wish on the fog,**_

 _ **I was anywhere else...'**_

Brooklyn gasped at the song and his guess was confirmed. It was a sad was almost as if she were putting all her sadness and pain into that song. It was clear that something was bothering her, but there could be any number of things that could make her mso upset. Even though the girl was talented, Brooklyn had to hand it to her for being out late at night singing to the ocean where people could easily take it from her, and judging from the scar Brooklyn found on her face, he'd have to say that it looked like someone had already tried to mess with her... and won.

' _ **The farms and the valleys are ringed with the stones,**_

 _ **of the men who built walls,**_

 _ **so's to be more alone.**_

 _ **All that's left of them now,**_

 _ **are their fears and their bones.**_

 _ **But the rocks they'd pull up,**_

 _ **were all I ever known... '**_

"She's incredible!" Lexington said in an excited tone; looking up at Brooklyn for an approval. "I'll bet she makes it big in the music business!"

Brooklyn chuckled at the youngest member of his clan. "I'm sure she will, Lex. But I think it's time we had back to the castle before she spots us." He said in a brotherly tone; making a move to leave.

Bronx whined but didn't make a move to follow Brooklyn. Lexington grabbed

Brooklyn's wing; stopping him from moving. "Wait a minute, Brooklyn! Let's stay till the song ends. Please? I- I really want to hear the rest of the song."

Brooklyn looked over at the smaller gargoyle and back at their watch dog before he sighed and turned back towards the girl. "Alright. But after the song ends, we're leaving. Got it?" He said in a firm reasoning tone.

Lexington smiled and cheered quietly with Bronx as they continued to enjoy the music being played. "I really like this song. I think it should be our theme song!" He said happily; causing the second in command to chuckle and fold his arms over his chest.

' _ **The rock forged my spirit!**_

 _ **The rock fed my anger!**_

 _ **The rock broke my heart,**_

 _ **like the waves of the sea!**_

 _ **I tried hard to fight, but it still grew inside me!**_

 _ **This island, my Ireland!**_

 _ **The rock is in me...**_

 _ **Heeee- heeee- heeee...'**_

Lexington smiled proudly as her accent came out as the song progressed. She seemed like a mixture of anger and sadness just made him want to stay and listen to her forever. It was fun for him to be out with Bronx and Brooklyn when they were finished with their duties. It reminded him of his own time having fun together when there wasn't an attack on the castle. He remembered having such a great time then, even in their early years as New Yorkers! He had those times when he just wanted to go back and enjoy the simple life again, but now it a time when he was glad to be in the present.

Bronx seemed to enjoy the girl's presence as well. They he wagged his little nub excitedly and lying down with his head between his frontal sound seemed to make him happy. Out of the lot of them, Brooklyn, however, was the one who enjoyed the most. Of course he and his rookery brothers had went to concerts and what not, but he had never been this close to an actual musician before. He had probably saved one in his time, but it was hard to ask them about themselves when they went screaming in the other direction.

"I never pegged her for being Irish." Lexington whispered to himself as he watched the girl play wildly on the guitar. "She doesn't have an accent or anything when she talks."

Brooklyn shrugged his shoulders, and kept his eyes trained on the girl in the open. "Maybe it's just her heritage. We're Scottish and we don't have accents." He suggested in an honest tone; ending the conversation so they both could enjoy the song.

' _ **Hard was the ground in which this child grew,**_

 _ **Unforgiving, cold,**_

 _ **was the home that I knew...**_

 _ **But knowin' the soil holds no 'arbor for you,**_

 _ **makes pullin' up roots that much easier to do...'**_

"Man, I wish Goliath and Hudson were here to hear this song. they would've really liked to hear a great song like this." Lexington said to Brooklyn when the girl took a moment for a pause before she started singing again. "It almost takes you back to our time!"

Brooklyn nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's almost like she been singing for a long time." He said in a flat tone; looking at Lexington with a surprised stare and seeing Lexington return the stare with one of his own.

The girl looked slightly angry when she sang that part of the song. It was like she was singing either about herself or someone very close to her. Either way, Brooklyn couldn't shake her lilthe form from his mind. He knew that girl would be haunting him for a few nights after this, but he could always blame his dear little brother for bringing him there. Not that he was bothered by it, he just hated to see others (even if most of them were strangers) upset. It was times like these when he wished he was human.

The song became a little creepy when the girl sang the bridge. She was doing a great job, and she put her own emotion into the song. From the clothes on her back, she didn't look like she needed any money. Her clothes were neat and clean enough to make her look like everyone else.

' _ **Set sail, young pilgrims!**_

 _ **Set said to a new land!**_

 _ **Set sail, our future,**_

 _ **is out there to find!**_

 _ **Bye, ma! Bye, da! '**_

This time, the female musician looked darker than normal as she sang. Her head hung low except for the last line of the song. She looked like she was glaring evilly at an invisible standing before her; singing with all she could at the wind. Brooklyn knew the girl had to be angry about something. The girl had a lot of emotion while she sang, and that was what made her different from all the rest of the humans in his eyes.

Brooklyn noticed that Lexington was also enjoying the performance before him. He had a bright smile on his face and his tail swished back and forth.

' _ **The rock forged my spirit!**_

 _ **The rock fed my anger!**_

 _ **The rock broke my heart,**_

 _ **like the waves of the sea!**_

 _ **I tried hard to fight, but it still grew inside me!**_

 _ **This island, my Ireland!**_

 _ **The rock is in me!'**_

By the time the song was coming to a close, the girl had calmed down greatly and begun to hang her head slightly again. This time, a defeated look was shown on her face, and she looked like she had given up her fight. She looked so alive while the song progressed and shown so much energy, but now she looks worn out and even more sad when she played. She was totally into the song, and now that it's coming to a close, she was more calmed down and mellowed out. Brooklyn was a little sad to hear the ending of the song, and figured it was for a close friend back home or a loved one who passed away, but he didn't want to assume anything, and knew Lexington was feeling the same way. Even Bronx whined in protest.

' _ **Now it's been years since I've been in that place!**_

 _ **And the winds of my life,**_

 _ **have all weathered my face.**_

 _ **But it's only with distance,**_

 _ **and the comin' of grace.**_

 _ **That I see in you beauty,**_

 _ **I can ne'er replace...'**_

The girl seemed to have lifted her head up to look at the moon; as if she were singing. She struck the three peeping gargoyles as a ghost or guardian watching over the sea. There was no real telling exactly how long she had been there, but she looked almost lonely; like she was waiting for someone or something to happen.

 _ **'The rock forged my spirit!**_

 _ **The rock was my anchor!**_

 _ **The rock held me fast through the storms of my youth!**_

 _ **Now, you'll never die 'cause you'll live on inside me!**_

 _ **Unillin sha mer heien fein!**_

 _ **Nie-lie-lie-lie-lie-lie!'**_

Once she was done; Bronx had made it a point to go and greet the young girl. He darted out of their hiding place, and made a mad dash for the girl sitting out on the docks. He made it over to her before the other two gargoyles could catch him and stop him from reaching her.


	2. A Shadow of Rage

Chapter Two: A Shadow of Rage

 _I won't stop before I give up!_

 _They say that I have to learn,_

 _how to fight before I can feel safe._

 _I'd rather kill myself,_

 _than turn into one of their slaves!_

 _There's no turning back now!_

 _Are you ready?_

...The winged gargoyles didn't have enough time to reach Bronx before he could reach the girl sitting on the dock. The girl seemed startled at first, but she soon recovered and held her hand out for him to smell. He barked shortly and licked the girl's hand before he got his upper half in her lap; licking her face.

The girl laughed and tried to weakly push the monster dog back, rubbing his head playfully. "You're a big pup, aren't you?" She said in a laughing tone; turning her face away from the gargoyle's tongue. "Where did you come from, huh, pup?" She asked the dog, as she looked into his eyes.

"Uh, he's with us..." Lexington spoke up as he and Brooklyn came out of their hiding places.

They slowly stepped out of the shadows for the girl to get a better view. They both crouched down and watched as Brox had settled down next to the girl. The second in command had been a little surprised to see Bronx had bonded with the girl so quickly like they were friends forever. He saw Bronx walked back and forth behind the girl as if he were guarding her.

"I promise we won't hurt you, miss!" Lexington said in a nervous tone; giving the girl a shaking smile. "We were just passing by, honest!" He said; thinking it would be best if they hadn't told her they were listening to her sing.

"Yeah, Bronx must've caught your scent in the air, and got away from us." Brooklyn added with the same nervous tone as his brother's. "I'm sorry if he scared you."

The girl laughed when she felt Bronx sniffing her ear, and pushed him away. "Don't worry about it." She told them in a gently tone, as she began to scratch Bronx's ear; causing him to sit down quickly. "I guess he heard me singing out to the sea and got excited."

Brooklyn took a small step forward; impressed with how she tamed the beast. "How did you do that? I've never seen Bronx take a liking to someone like that!" He asked in an impressed tone, as he took another step forward; stopping where the wood met land.

Lexington stood beside his brother, and sat on his hunches; keeping his distance. "We did hear you sing, though!" He called out politely; telling on themselves.

The girl blushed and tucked her white bangs behind her ears; showing them a curved scar around her bloody eye. "Oh, you hear that? I bet it was like a banshee, huh?" She asked in a joking tone; closing one eye at him.

Lexington stood up and fisted his hands. "No! You were great! I've never heard anything like it!" He said in protest as he stared at the girl with shock in his eyes.

The girl laughed at him before she stopped short and blinked over at them. "Thanks, but why aren't you over here with your dog?" She asked in a teasing tone; giving them a playful look. "I won't scream or anything if you come near me, you know? I think I would've done when this overgrown pup clobbered me just now?"

Brooklyn and Lexington both hung their mouths open slightly, and looked at one another with surprise plastered on their faces. They slowly walked over towards the girl and Bronx, and Bronx rushed over towards them; jumping around them, and pushing them over towards her.

The girl watched as they took either side of the girl, and looked at her for a moment. "I told you I don't bite." She teased with a sly smirk. "Was it really THAT painful to come over and have a sit for a moment?"

Brooklyn coughed a little and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not that..." He started out in an unsure tone; trying to figure out how to say the right words, "... It's just that, people don't normally react the way you did."

"And there are some people that hate us and want to wipe us out!" Lexington chimed in; causing Bronx to whine and raise his head up; letting out a low growl in agreement.

The girl gave them an all knowing look. "Ah! The Quarrymen! I've heard a great deal of them even I was on my way over here."

"Really? From where?" He asked in a shocked tone; turning his head to look at the girl beside him.

The girl sighed and leaned into her knees. "I came all the way here from Ireland." She said in a tired tone; looking out into the sea. "I was having some... problems back home. So, I went to live with my grandfather here in hopes of having a second chance."

Brooklyn looked over at the girl with understand in her eyes. "I can understand that." He replied in an all knowing tone.

"So, what's your name? I bet it's something real cool." Lexington replied in an innocent tone; looking over at the girl with excited eyes.

The girl laughed and gave Lexington a bright smile. "Oh, I'm sorry! It's been a while since I've talked to anybody. My name is Renoir. What are your names?" She replied politely with a light pink tinge rushing to the surface of her cheeks.

Brooklyn gave Renoir a shy smile. "I'm Brooklyn. And this is Lexington." He said brightly. "And, you've already met our watch dog, Bronx."

Renoir looked over at the dog sitting beside him, and watched as he nudged him with his head; getting him to pay attention to him. "Yes, he is a bit of a ham, isn't he? I had a pet seahorse like that. Every time I walked over towards the tank, he'd just swim up to the top and jump around; trying to get me to pet him. I would swear he thought of himself as a dog or something." She replied in a pleasant tone; as she placed her hands on the port as she kicked her legs back and forth.

"So, are you living somewhere nearby or something?" Lexington asks in a curious tone; looking behind them at the city.

Renoir nodded, and pointed down towards the boats. "I live in a houseboat with my grandfather down towards the lighthouse." She said in a hollow tone, "My mother thought it would be best if I stayed here since I've been having problems at home."

"What kind of problems, Renoir?" Brooklyn asked in a concerned tone; showing her that he cared.

Lexington placed his hands on his knees and leaned over to look at the girl beside. "Yeah, Renoir, it must have been pretty bad if your parents made you come all the way out here."

Renoir sighed and leaned back into her seat; locking her arms behind her to support her weight. "Well, it was for a lot of things, but the main reason is because of the way I look." She said in a defeated tone; looking up at the night sky. "I don't exactly blend in with the crowd."

Brooklyn tilted his head to the side in bewilderment. "I never thought humans were so judgmental even towards their own kind."

"A lot of kids in the neighborhood hated me to the point where they even denied me the right to exist." She said in a hollow tone; looking out into the ocean. She then turned back to Brooklyn with a happy smile. "Then my mother was talking about it with my grandfather one day and they both decided it was best to leave the country and come live here with him!" She said in a cheerful tone.

"So, how do you like it here so far?" He asked in an excited tone; leaning slightly towards the girl.

Renoir laughed a little and shook her head. "It's a much safer place than the streets I'm used to." She said in a mild tone; smiling faintly. "At least people here wouldn't try to throw me into the orca tank at the marine research and rescue center I used to work at."

Brooklyn and Lexington looked at one another and then back at Renoir. They noticed her laughter stopped short. "I don't know what hurts worse: getting thrown into the tank, or how I felt when they threw me in the tank."

The gargoyles looked at Renoir with listless eyes. They have just met this girl, and they already feel sorry for her. Even though she looked like a teenager, they could see years of battles and scars showing on her skin and face. She looked very rough around the edges, but she had a laid back attitude that made them all feel comfortable to be around her. It was like being around a long lost friend they haven't seen in ages.

After a few moments of idle chatting, Madison looked down at her necklace watch, and let out a loose sigh.

"I'm sorry, guys," She said in a disappointed tone; giving them an apologetic smile. "I need to be heading back home. It's my turn to cook dinner tonight."

"Yeah, we should be heading back, too. Our friends will start to worry." Lexington said in a sad tone; his ears dropping slightly.

Renoir noticed that the olive skinned gargoyle's ears had dropped slightly in disappointment, and offered him a friendly smile. "Hey, don't be so sad Lexington," Madison said in a soothing tone; placing her tiny hand on his shoulder, "you guys can come back to see me whenever you want."

"Really? You mean it?" Lexington asked in a hopeful tone; new life shining in his large eyes.

Renoir laughed and looked back down the shore, and pointed towards the port furthest from the docks. "Of course. I don't say no to good company. And besides, there's a storm coming in soon, and I don't want you lot to get caught in it."

Brooklyn raised a taloned hand to his beak, and looked out towards the sky above the ocean. "I don't remember the weather man saying anything about a storm tonight."

Renoir giggled over at Brooklyn, and looked up to the sky. "My grandfather knows when a storm is coming. He could tell when a storm is coming just by the way the waves roll in! He's a very smart ex-sailor."

"Will you be alright in the houseboat?" Brooklyn asked in a slightly worried tone, looking Renoir straight in the eyes.

Renoir flashed Brooklyn a brave smile. "Oh, yeah. As long as the anchor holds, I only have to worry about the rain getting onto the deck. That's a pain in the neck to get off afterwards." She replied in an honest tone; offering him a happy smile.

Brooklyn nodded and returned Renoir's smile with one of his own. "Alright. Tomorrow night then. And who knows? Maybe we could catch a movie or something?"

Renoir nodded at the gargoyle. "Alright. See you guys later!" She said cheerfully as she watched them slowly get up.

Brooklyn helped Madison to her feet, and stepped back to allow the rest of his company to follow suit. He saw Bronx jump around the smaller girl, and caused her to kneel down and pet him. Once he was done with her, he quickly joined the other two gargoyles.

"I'll watch you guys leave." She spoke up in a wise tone. "I'm not going to get blamed if something happens to you while you're under my watch."

Brooklyn chuckled and guided Lexington away from the port. After saying goodbye to Renoir, they made their way towards higher ground, where they caught the next updraft; leaving Renoir to herself...

When the trio reached the castle, they were greeted by their clan mates. Their leader, Goliath, had noticed his second in command had a restful look on his face, and Lexington had a slightly downward look. When Brooklyn released Bronx, the dog had been more energetic than when he left, and was bouncing around.

Goliath watched Bronx prancing around the eldest gargoyle, Hudson and looked over towards the two. "Bronx seems more... happy since you three left." He said in a pleased tone; giving Brooklyn a slight smile.

"That's because he made a new friend down by the docks." Lexington spoke up in a cheerful tone; giving his leader a bright smile.

Goliath raised a brow at the two, and folded his muscled arms over his chest. "Oh? And just who is this new friend?" He asked in a slightly firm tone; clearly not liking the idea of his warriors exposing themselves to the humans with probable cause.

Brooklyn and Lexington shrank back and held a submissive posture. There was no way they were going to fight with their leader as intimidating as Goliath was.

"W-well, Brooklyn and I took Bronx down by the docks so we could see the ocean." Lexington said in a nervous shudder; hoping to reason with Goliath, "but then we heard sining and found a girl sitting at one of the ports."

"Bronx seemed to like her voice, and took off for her before we could catch him!" Brooklyn said quietly; jumping down from his perch.

It was Eliza'a turn to raise her brow at Brooklyn. "Her?" She asked in a teasing tone; placing her hands on her hips. "This girl wouldn't happen to have long white hair, would she? Red eyes? Goes by, "Renoir"?"

Brooklyn nodded his head and looked over at the detective. "You know her, Eliza?"

Eliza smiled slightly and looked up at Goliath. "We bumped into each other last night." She said in a polite tone; giving those around her a comforting smile. "Apparently, someone was going around and vandalizing her grandfather's property. I was going to swing by there to check up on them once the storm passes."

"You heard about the storm, too?" Brooklyn and Lexington asked in a shocked tone; taken aback by the woman's claim.

Hudson stepped forward, and and smiled smugly at the two surprised gargoyles. "Aye, lads, the weather man just announced it before you three showed up." He responded in a mighty tone; taking his place by his leader's side.

Just as everyone settled down, a huge clap of thunder boomed throughout the sky; causing everyone to jump in reflex.

"It sounds like it's gonna be a big one." Broadway said in a worried tone; looking out towards the city to see flashes of light from the clouds.

"I just hope Renoir makes it home before the storm hits..." Brooklyn said with a more worried look in his tone than Broadway had used. Lexington looked over at Angela and Broadway with a sly look.

Just as Eliza was about to say something, she felt a few drops of water land on her face. She looked up and held out her hand to feel the rain begin to come down. "Man, it's already starting to rain." She said in a low mumble. She pulled up the collar of her jacket, and looked up at the others. "I better go ahead and leave before it gets worse. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, Eliza!" Angela said in a polite tone; waving the woman off.

"Later!" Broadway called out as he opened the door for the human.

"Be careful out there, Lass." Hudson said in an elderly warning; folding his wings over his shoulders.

Goliath turned and walked Eliza towards the stairs. "I'll see you out." He said in a declarative tone; folding his wings over his shoulders.

"Bye, Eliza!" Lexington said in a childish tone; waving towards the woman as she and Goliath made their way down the stairs; leaving the others to their own conversation.

"So, tell us about this Renoir - girl. What's she like?" Angela said in an excited tone; looking to the two for answers.

Lexington and Brooklyn made their way into the castle and made their way towards the conference room. Angela and Broadway wouldn't let their brothers get away without answering their questions. And they would pester them all night if need be.

"Renoir is Irish and from what I gathered, she only uses an accent when she sings!" Lexington said excitedly as he followed Brooklyn down the stairs; everyone else following suit behind them.

"I wish I could have been there to hear! I bet she sounds almost like Princess Catherine!" Angela said in a happy tone; placing her hands together in joy.

"She sounds pretty cool!" Broadway declared in a pumped tone as he looked over towards Lexington; holding Angela's hand. "I'm surprised she wasn't scared of you guys. I mean, Bronx just ran over towards her like that."

Brooklyn looked back at the chubby gargoyle, and pushed the large wooden doors leading to the conference room. "She laughed at Bronx when he practically licked her face off, and wanted us to go sit with her on the port." Brooklyn stated in a blunt tone; walking over towards the mantle to retrieve a deck of playing cards. "I'm pretty sure she's cool about us."

"At least she isn't after us." Lexington said in a lazy tone; jumping up on the table; sitting at the end of the table. "I think that's a good thing."

Brooklyn sat down at the smaller gargoyle and looked over at the other two. "You playin'?" He asked in a challenging tone; giving Broadway a playful smirk.

Broadway shrugged his shoulders, and joined his brothers at the opposite side of the table. "I'm game." He said in a countering tone; placing his arms on the table.

Angela sighed and shook her head; walking over towards Brooklyn, and jumped up to sit across from Lexington on the table's surface. "I'm going to play, too!" She said in a ready tone; letting Lexington deal her in; everyone enjoying this time to spend together like they did when they lived at the clock tower...


	3. A Shot in the Dark

Chapter Three: A Shot in The Dark

 _I couldn't tell you,_

 _why it hurts so bad!_

 _There's so many words,_

 _for the broken hearted!_

 _Now you know what it's like,_

 _to scream and have no one to hear..._

 _It's the nature of nature:_

 _If you're strong, you'll live._

 _If you're weak, you'll die._

 _What would you do?_

The next DAY, Renoir made her way into town; using crutches to get around town. Her grandfather had given her some money to spend on things that would keep her busy when he would work on the lighthouse. As much as the albino girl wanted to help, there was only so much a young woman could do when it came to the lighthouse before she would simply get in the way. The old man was happy to give his granddaughter the money. She had turned down the offer at first, but the old man insisted that she go into the city. If not to spend the money given to her; then for the sake of learning how to get around the city without getting lost.

So, right now, Renoir was walking down Eleventh and Bleeker; looking for something that she could do. She had been worried about the gargoyles since it had started to storm just after they were out of sight. She had hoped they had made it home before it got too bad for them to fly home. She actually enjoyed their company, but Brooklyn was the one who had caught her attention. Even though he hadn't truly said as much as the smaller one. She had been in a dream-like state the whole morning, and now she was walking in broad daylight-in New York of all places. Somewhere in her mind, she knew she would be in trouble if she wasn't on guard. Especially with one hundred fifty dollars in her pocket.

She wasn't aware that someone had been trying to stop her. "Huh? What do you want?" She asked in a defensive tone; turning around and putting up her fists to attack.

"Whoa! Take it easy, Renoir!" Eliza said in a surprised tone; taking her hand back and holding it up with the other in surrender.

Renoir sighed and relaxed her body; blushing in embarrassment. "Oh, Detective Maza," she said in a relieved tone; smiling nervously at the older woman before her, "I thought you might have been someone else..."

Eliza chuckled and lowered her arms. "Were you expecting someone? Where's your grandfather?" She asked in a curious tone; looking around for the old man she met at the police station the other night. "Isn't he here with you?"

Renoir grinned and pulled her cap over her brows. "He's at work. He thought it would be best if I should go into the city to "get the flow of it", as he put it. Wanted me to get some things to keep me busy while he worked at the lighthouse. He was a little shaken up when I told him I was out by the docks last night."

Eliza looked the girl over, and gave a slight smile. "Well, my shift is over," she said in a suggestive tone; looking down at her watch, "why don't we go grab something to eat or something? Maybe I could show you around town while we're at it?"

Renoir gasped and took a slight step back; falling flat on her back in the process. Eliza chuckled politely, and held out her hand for the younger woman to take.

"But I NEED to talk to you, Renoir. It's about the "friends" you made last night!" Eliza spoke up in a more urgent tone; grabbing Renoir's shoulder.

Renoir turned around on her heels, and gave Eliza a sharp look. "Am I in some kind of trouble? Did I do something wrong?"

Eliza chuckled in reply, and shook her head. "You didn't do anything wrong. I just wanted to talk to you about them." She replied in an honest tone; giving Renoir a sweet smile. "Why don't we go and grab a bite? My Treat?"

After the two walked a little with Renoir giving little information about herself, she guessed that she was just shy. They had settled on a small hamburger stand, and took their food to the park; sitting at the Balto Memorial.

"I remember coming to see this memorial whenever I'd spend the holidays with my grandfather... There's something about this place that makes me think I can do anything." Renoir said in a thoughtful tone; looking to the proud wolf-dog perched beside her. "He kind of reminds me a little of Bronx."

Eliza looked from her meal, and swallowed her food. "I want to know what you know about the gargoyles." She said in a flat tone; going back to her burger.

Renoir took a drink of her soda, and looked over at Eliza with a blank stare. "I know what you really want to know." She said in an accusing tone; narrowing her eyes through her sunglasses. "You want to know what my intent towards the gargoyles are."

Eliza choked on her meal, and pounded on her chest to get the food to go down her throat. "How did you figure that out so quickly?" She asked in disbelief; her eyes wide with shock.

Renoir looked away and munched on her food. "It's a gift. I can tell what a body is thinking at the slightest gesture or tone." She said hotly as she finished off her burger. "And with all due respect, Detective Maza, but I doubt they'll ever want to see me again. I could tell the one called, "Brooklyn" was tense the whole time we sat together and talked." She said in a hollow tone; wadding up the wrapper, and standing up. "Not that I blame them. I do look a bit on the "wicked side" as my family used to put it. I can never fit in with neither the humans nor the gargoyles..."

Eliza shook her head at the younger woman, and gave her a weak smile. "So what if people discriminate against you for being albino, Renoir. That shouldn't alter what makes you who you are."

Renoir turned to Eliza with a faint smile, and turning back around; throwing the ball into the trash can across the path way. "Your words may be true to some degree, detective, but it doesn't change the things those people did to me... Not by a long shot!"

After a few moments of looking down at the ground, Renoir sighed and turned back to Eliza with a tired look in her eyes. "You have nothing to worry about, detective," she told the law enforcer with a passive glance, "...your gargoyle friends' secret is safe with me. I won't tell a soul. And even if I told, I'd be risking the exposure of my family as well... and that, I can not have..."

"Wait! What do you mean, Renoir? What secret? What are you hiding from me?" Eliza called out in a protesting tone; reaching out for the girl; only to find her too far away to touch.

And with that, Renoir made her way back into town; ready to go back to the boat house...

 **Later on that day** , Renoir found her way back home; carrying two large paper bags. One was of her things, and the other was of some food to make dinner with. It was a hot day today and it was getting late in the evening. So the day was only going to get worse.

Her grandfather was out moping up the side deck of the boathouse; whistling some old tune as he went. Renoir smiled warmly at the man, and walked over towards the port that lead to her new home.

"I thought you were going to work at the lighthouse today, grandfather." Renoir called out to the elderly man.

Her grandfather looked down to see Renoir standing on the port; holding two large paper bags in her arms. He smiled down at the girl, and jumped down to help her. "Some of the other workers of mine couldn't make it to work tonight, so I have to go back later on tonight to take their shifts. And while I was here, I thought the decks needed cleaning. So, after eight hours of working, here I am, working on our home."

Renoir smiled at her grandfather and took her bags back from him; going back into the watery house. "I'll put these up, and I'll come back out here to finish this up for you." She suggested in a polite tone; giving her grandfather a happy smile. "That way, you can catch a few winks before you start the night shift, deal?"

The elderly man wiped some sweat from his brow. "That be the best news I've heard all day." He said in a tired tone; leaning the mop against the door frame.

And so there was Renoir; outside of the boathouse; cleaning the deck. She let out a loose cough, but showed no sign of stopping. She sighed and wiped some sweat from her brow; wishing she could just drop her mop and jump into the ocean sitting under the boathouse. But that would be too dangerous. It would put her family's secret on the line. And no matter how much she hates her family, she couldn't risk exposing their secret.

The elderly man came out of the boat, and looked around to see his granddaughter was still cleaning up the deck. "You still at it, girl? I thought you would sitting out here drinking lemonade and reading a book or something."

Renoir shrugged her shoulders, and continued to scrub the deck. "I finished washing it a while ago. All I'm doing now is drying it." She responded in a lazy tone; getting down on all fours to finish drying the floor.

The old man sighed and kicked the rag out of Renoir's hands; causing her to look up. "You've done enough as it stands, child." He spoke in a firm tone; giving her a warm smile. "Why don't you go take a swim? It'll be good exorcize for you."

Renoir looked up at her grandfather with shock on her face. "At sundown? Are you insane? Fisherman will be coming in any minute now! I won't risk exposing myself to them!"

Her grandfather simply pulled her up off the floor, and pushed her towards the inside of the boat. "You'll be fine if you just stay towards the bottom floor, Renoir. Now, go on and have fun. You might even be able to find some shells down there while you're at it."

Renoir pouted for a moment, but then, surrendered to her grandfather's wishes. "Fine. I'm blaming you if I get caught by a mortal. Remember that when mother finds out."

The man waved the girl's threat off, and began walking off towards bow of the boat; getting ready to climb down. "I've got to go to work now, Renoir. Stay out of trouble."

Renoir waved her grandfather off and turned back towards the lower portion of the boat; getting ready to jump in.

Once she made it to the opening of the boat, she stepped off in the water and a soft sigh escaped her lips, when she felt the water around her feet. She knew was would come shortly, so she had to move further into the water.

There was a slight red light shining into the waters, and all of a sudden, Renoir's legs began to glow as well. She closed her eyes; lavishing in the familiar numbing sensation and jumped into the waters below.

Once the lights faded away, Renoir's legs were now joined together and a long, stoned gray tail. She straightened her body upwards and freed her hair from its braid, and shook it loose. She then looked around, and swam back up to the opening of the boat, and reached on the first step to grab a bag she had placed there when she stepped out into the water. She pulled herself up onto the step, grabbed the bag; throwing it over her head before she dived back down into the waters below.

She had been on the ocean floor for a few hours now, and she already had her bag filled with things she found down there. She was now lying on a broken kelp when she looked up at the sky; seeing the moon slowly rising above the waters above her. She gasped and held onto her necklace in panic, she grabbed her bag and pushed herself up into the water; making a beeline in the direction of her home above water. She had lost track of time, and it was time to return to her home above the water. She sighed and swam quickly; flapping her tail as hard as she could to make it up to the boat.

When she close to the surface, she saw that her boat wasn't where she left it. She gasped and looked around for the boat. She broke the surface, and looked around; seeing that she had ventured a good distance from home. She hadn't realized that the fishermen boats were now making port, and ducked down low; keeping out of their sights, and swimming towards them. Her boathouse would be further down from the docks, and that meant she would have to go past them.

She actually avoided the first set of boats, but once she broke surface to make sure she was getting close, a middle-aged fisherman had spotted her. Renoir gasped and looked at the man when she heard him screaming about a monster in the water, and running off to tell everyone there. She then yelped in fear, and quickly jumped back into the water; going as deep as she could to get away. The only time she broke surface was when she was behind the rock formation that divided the fish market and the residential area. She looked over the edge of the rocks to see if anyone was looking for her. When she saw the captain yelling at the fisherman about daydreaming or something,, she leaned her back against the rock wall and let out a shaky sigh of relief. She caught her breath, and jumped back into the water below; not stopping until she got under her houseboat...

 **Eliza and Matt just walked back into the station to clock in for their shift,** when their captain caught them at the time clock. They clocked in and followed her into her office; sitting back down into her seat.

"The reason why I called you in here is because I need you to check out the docks for me." The captain said in an urgent tone;pulling out a file from the top of the files already on her desk and sliding it over towards the two.

Matt picked up the file and began reading it; Eliza read over her partner's shoulder. "This is a joke, right, captain?" He asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Monsters? In the ocean? Please, captain! Save that for the harbor patrol." Eliza stated in a flat tone; waving the captain's commands off.

The woman sitting at her desk sighed and looked Eliza in the eye. "I can't having my division look bad if we don't look into anything that may be a potential threat to the city. You will be going on their patrol tonight. Just for argument's sake. And besides, it'll put the fishermen at ease about going back out to sea."

Eliza looked over at Matt, and shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "Alright, captain. You win." She said before she walked over towards the door; letting herself out.

 **The gargoyles had been hanging around the castle for a few moments.** They had woken up a few moments ago and were just about to kick back when Eliza came in; looking frustrated and stressed.

Goliath had made his way over towards her. "Is something troubling you, Eliza?" He asked in a curious tone.

Eliza sighed and looked up at the large gargoyle. "I have harbor duty tonight, and I am so not in the mood to freeze my butt off. I'd much rather avoid catching a cold or something." She said in a tired sigh.

"Why are you going to the harbor?" Brooklyn asked as he joined the two in conversation; looking up at Eliza from his crouched position.

Eliza looked down at Brooklyn with a stressed out look. "There were reports of a monster by the docks where the fishermen make port."

Brooklyn took a slight bounce back. "Monsters? That's about as crazy as alligators in the sewers!" He declared in a joking tone.

Eliza smiled down at the beaked gargoyle. "I know, right? Oh, and by the by, I ran into Renoir today when I got off work." She said in a friendly tone, " and boy, that girl is some piece of work since the last time I met her when she and her grandfather were in the station filing reports."

Brooklyn's ears perked up at the mention of Renoir's name, and gave Eliza a mildly excited look. "You saw her? What was she doing in town? Did she say anything about us?" He asked with excitement.

Eliza chuckled and relaxed her body at the young male's excitement and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Her grandfather sent her on a shopping spree and we just kinda bumped into each other. We grabbed a bite to eat and started talking. And let's just say that I found out more than I really wanted to know."

Goliath raised a brow at the woman before him, and folded his wings over his broad shoulders. "Oh? And what exactly DID you find out, Eliza?" He asked in a curious tone; watching the woman closely.

"She's smart as a whip. She knew from the start I was beating around the bush when I was asking her what she knew about you guys. I think I stirred up some unpleasant feelings when I was asking her about her family, too." Eliza said in a sharp tone; folding her arms over her chest.

Brooklyn hopped up on one of the perches, and faced them with a submissive look on his face. "Hey, wouldn't YOU be a little defensice if you had to go through everything she's went through? I mean, how else would she have gotten those scars? I'm sure some of them were accidents or something, but the other ones look like they might have been from defending herself from an attack, right? I'm sure she'll come around if we spend a little time with her."

Eliza sighed and shook her head in defeat. "I'm afraid that won't be as easy as you think, Brooklyn." She said in worried tone as she gave him a concerned look. "She thinks she looks like freakish. That no one will ever like her because of the way she looks."

"What? How is that even possible? I thought we were actually getting along last night!" Brooklyn cried out in protest before he turned around on his perch. "I'm going to go with you so I can stop by to talk Renoir." He declared in a final tone; pausing only to look over his shoulder towards Goliath. "Uh, if that's alright with you, Goliath."

Goliath gave a short chuckle and waved his second in command off. "You can go, Brooklyn. Just remember to come back before sunrise, and be careful."

Brooklyn smiled brightly at his leader and gave him a happy nod before he jumped off his perch; gliding on the currents that led to the docks.

Eliza waited until the beaked gargoyle was out of sight before she turned back to Goliath. "I guess I better be heading off, too. We gotta get to the bottom of this wild goose chase." She said in a ready tone; turning around to walk back into the castle...


	4. Going All Out

Chapter Four: Going All Out

 _Six thoughts at once,_

 _and I can't focus on one!_

 _What would you do,_

 _to mend a broken heart?_

 _What would you do,_

 _if you could see the hurt in my eyes?_

 _I can only go against my true nature for so long..._

... Brooklyn had made it to the port where he and his brother had met Renoir, but found her nowhere in sight. He made a thorough sweep of the residential area. He sighed in relief when he saw the girl in question sitting out on her deck with some papers out in front of her. He made sure no one was around before he called out to her.

Renoir looked around in curiosity before she went back to whatever she was doing before she was bothered again. Brooklyn tried calling out to her as he got closer to the boat; landing on the port that kept the boat from drifting out to sea.

Needless to say that Brooklyn had frightened the poor girl. She jumped out of her seat and fell to the deck floor with a loud yelp. Brooklyn gasped, and pulled the girl up on her feet; a fearful look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Renoir. I was calling out to you." Brooklyn said in an arrogant tone; letting her go when she was fully balanced on her feet.

"I heard someone calling out to me, but I never thought to look to the skies." Renoir said in a lightened tone; not looking Brooklyn in the eye.

"My clan and I get that a lot... Well, when people don't try to destroy us or run away screaming that is." Brooklyn said in a slight joking tone; giving Renoir a shy smile.

Renoir,i in return, smiled back at beaked gargoyle. "You have a kind smile." She told him in an absent minded tone.

Brooklyn blushed a bright pink at the girl, and rubbed his arm nervously. He looked over at the table, and found a mess of files and papers scattered across the surface. "So, what are you working on, Renoir? Homework or..." He trailed off; looking to the girl for answers.

Renoir laughed and signaled him to sit down at the other side of the table. "I've done graduated, Brooklyn." She said in a playful tone. "I'm actually writing out my report for S.T.A.R.S." She replied in a logical tone.

"STARS? As in Specially Trained Aquatic Research Studies?"Brooklyn asked in an amazed tone; picking up a paper to read. "What exactly do you do there?"

Renoir raised a brow at her guest. "I take care of the animals that come up on shore or are injured. Like if a whale is hurt, it's my job to take care of them until they are well either well enough to survive on their own or are sociable enough to be around other animals and humans. Those animals are sent off to places like Sea World."

Brooklyn looked up from the papers he was holding and looked at Renoir with total shock in his eyes. "How could someone like you be able to help others like that? I wouldn't be able to help creatures like you do!" He said in a surprised tone; causing his surprise to turn to confusion when he heard her laugh at his comment.

"Actually, I have to give the credit to the people I grew up with." She said in a thoughtful tone as she looked out towards the water. "They taught me how NOT to act towards others."

"Well, yeah, but..." Brooklyn started; not sure of how he should talk to her.

Renoir looked over at Brooklyn with a searching look. Then something flashed in her eyes, and she then sighed; resting her chin in her hand, as she looked back out to the ocean. "I know what you want to ask and my answer is simple." She looked over at Brooklyn with a sweet smile. "I do it out of habit."

Brooklyn was once again taken by surprise by this human. How could she smile like she always does with everything she told him had happened to her? It didn't make any sense! Any other human would turn out nearly evil and would ultimately turn against those he/she would hold close. But not this human. Not Renoir. No matter how much pain anyone would cause her, she was still smiling.

There was an awkward silence that fell over them. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of the roaring waves. Renoir sighed and ran her hand through her shock white hair. Then she snapped her fingers and pushed herself up; getting ready to go back into the boathouse.

"I've got something for you." She said in a gentle tone, as she slid one foot forward.

Brooklyn watched the girl put pressure on the foot she slid forward, and saw her fall face-first onto the deck. "Are you alright, Renoir?" He asked in a slightly worried tone; jumping out of his seat and crouched down at her side.

Renoir growled in mild anger. "I thought my strength would return by now!" She hissed in an angry tone; not taking her bloody eyes off her legs.

Brooklyn gently pulled her up to her feet, but held onto her. "What do you mean? You were alright when I left you last night. I saw you walking away from the docks." He said in a confused tone; letting Renoir go when he felt she was sturdy enough to stand on her own.

Renoir smiled up at Brooklyn, and began to slowly push herself away from the table. "Oh, don't mind that! I'm really a lunatic trapped in the body of a sane person!" She said in a happy tone; giggling nervously as she made her way into the house to collect her item. "Oh, before I forget. Could you please do me a favor by making sure those papers don't fly away? I forgot to pick them up when I walked in here." But before Brooklyn could actually say anything in protest, she had already made it back into her houseboat to get whatever it was that she was going to give him.

When she returned, she had two glass bottles of soda and a thin box tucked neatly under her arm. Brooklyn took note in how thin she was compared to his human friend, Eliza. In some ways she reminded him a little of the woman. But this human was far from Eliza. They just had similar attributes.

He noticed that even though Eliza liked to make slight jokes whenever he or his clan mates would ask her a question, he noticed that Renoir had an alluring personality that made his heart quicken. He also noted that she was fighting some kind of battle within herself. He could tell she was angry with her family and the people she grew up with, but there were times when she'd answer his questions with pain in her throat.

He watched her place a bottle in front of him, and hers in front of her. She looked up at Brooklyn with a sweet smile, as she placed the box in the middle of the table.

"This is where the lunatic comes out." She said in a serious tone; looking Brooklyn straight in the eye. "But I was in town today and I found this really neat looking journal, and it just reminded me of you. I only just met you once, and I'm giving you a gift. But I have no use for it, and I was hoping that you or Lexington could use for something. Or maybe anyone you might know. Bottom line, I'm giving a stranger a gift."

"Yeah, Eliza said she ran into you when she was heading out of the police station." Brooklyn said casually; looking at Renoir with a shocked stare; covering his hands over his beak.

"So, you're here with her then? I saw her earlier on the patrol boat just before you came by. Which, by the by, why exactly are you here? I thought you wouldn't want anything to do with me after last night? What made you come back?" She stated in a logical tone; looking Brooklyn in the eye as she searched for any truth.

Brooklyn was once again, shocked at the girl's claim. How did she know these things before he could act? It was a little scary that she could do that. But he quickly remembered Eliza saying that she was really smart.

"Well, actually, I did come here for a reason." He said in a nervous tone; rubbing the back of his neck out of reflex. "I wanted to apologize for the way I was acting last night."

Renoir's hardened gaze turned soft and she tilted her head to the side in confusion, but Brooklyn stopped her by continuing with what he was going to say.

"You see, Renoir. Besides Eliza, you are one of the few humans in the city to actually not try to kill us." He said in a pleading tone. "It's a little hard for us to trust humans as we did in the past."

Renoir leaned back in her seat and let out a shaky sigh of what seemed like relief. "For a minute I thought I scared you off last night. I mean, I AM a little creepy."

Brooklyn growled and rolled his taloned hand into a tight fist. "Why do you keep putting yourself down like that? There's nothing wrong with the way you look! I think you look like any other human I've seen. I've seen people a lot scarier looking than you think you are!"

Renoir blinked at the gargoyle with shock on her face. Yes, it was her turn to be shocked in this chapter. She looked at her hands for a moment and were resting on the box, and then back up at Brooklyn. "Thanks for telling me that, Brooklyn. I knew you were a really great friend. I'm so happy Bronx clobbered me last night."

Brooklyn slowly relaxed his body and he stared at the girl in front of him. There it was again! That painful smile that even pierced his own heart now was dancing on her scarred face. There was a small part of him that wanted to yell at her for smiling like that; forcing her to show some other emotion than the one she always had, even when she was putting herself down. But another part of him actually LIKED that smile. They had only known each other one night. It simply wasn't logical. Not to him.

It was like... no, Brooklyn wasn't going to think like that. Not after everything he went through. Betrayal, heartbroken-twice, alone with that struggle that embedded itself into his mind since Eliza had told them what she said. He couldn't stop thinking about the detective's words. He knew he was being overly cautious around her last night when Bronx and Lexington had been so comfortable and sympathetic towards her. But now that he saw it for himself, he felt like a real jerk. And it was eating him alive. And by the looks of Renoir's face, he knew she knew it, too.

"I'm sorry if I'm upsetting you. I put myself down because I'm used to others doing the same. I guess I'm so used to it that I don't even realize I'm doing it." Renoir said in a reasoning tone; looking down at her hands.

She gasped and looked up at Brooklyn with a surprised smile. "I forgot all about your present while you were yelling at me." She said in a happy tone as she pushed the box over to him.

Brooklyn sulked in his seat, as he folded his arms over his chest and turned his head with slight annoyance. "You make me sound like a bad guy." He pouted as he looked away from the girl in front of him.

Renoir's eyes widened and she slapped her forehead. "I'm sorry, Brooklyn! I didn't mean to! It just came out that way!"

Brooklyn chuckled and turned to face Renoir with a teasing smile. "I was just giving you a hard time, Renoir." He said in a pleasant tone, "Now, let's see this amazing book you keep talking about."

The beaked gargoyle lifted the lid to reveal a type of metal book with some kind of half woman-half fish sitting on a rock; looking out into a large yellow moon. The corners of the book were decorated with some kind of Celtic design. If one would look at it in a certain way; then one of his clan mates would think of it as the Magus's spell book!

"That is totally awesome! Thank you so much, Renoir!" Brooklyn said excitedly as he opened the book with great interest. Once he looked inside, he noticed that the pages were blank. He looked up at Renoir with a questioning stare. "Where are the words?"

Renoir giggled politely. "Oh, that's because it's a JOURNAL, Brooklyn. You're supposed to write things in it. Like a diary."

"Thanks, Renoir! This is really cool."Brooklyn said happily. "But you really didn't have to get me anything."

Renoir waved Brooklyn's comment off and gave him a reassuring smile. "Color me "generous" and we'll be even." She said apathetically; taking him lightly.

"So, what should I write in here anyway? I mean, I have trouble expressing myself to others. I don't think this book will help me much." Brooklyn replied in a cautious tone; not really wanting to offend Renoir.

"Well, books like the one you're holding have magic powers." Renoir explained. "Someone can write things in those books for any purpose. Weather or not it's for writing out their anger, their hopes, dreams, wishes, it doesn't matter."

"But you said it was magic. How could that be true if people use them for that purpose?" Brooklyn asked; looking down at the book as if he were expecting it to do something.

Renoir chuckled and shook her head. "The magic is when you look back at the things you write in it. Some people use them for real magic, others use them for writing their stories and others write in them to remember things. I personally use them for work. Like when a killer whale is acting different or if a dolphin is sick. I keep track on how they act or what medicines I give them." She said with a shake of her head. "I've not been here one week and I already have one of those books half-way filled. I had a total of ten books of research and studies when I was working back home."

Brooklyn gave Renoir a weak smile, and looked down at all the papers she had out on the table. "And this is all your research? Man, Renoir, it sounds like you really like the ocean stuff."

Renoir shrugged her shoulders and leaned back into her seat. "Ever since I was a little guppy, I was always DRAWN to the dolphins and orcas. Weather or not I trained them to preform in shows or treated them for any illness or injuries. I was always working with them." She told him with an excited tone; smiling at the beaked gargoyle. "People have been afraid of the orcas because of their size and power. Not to mention their coloring."

"Really? I thought people liked that movie." Brooklyn said in a curious tone; tilting his head to the side as he watched Renoir shift around in her seat.

Renoir laughed in response;taking a drink of her soda. "Trust me, these guys are smarter than humans. They have been known to go after the Great Whites! I was there when Kyo attacked his own tank buddy when he first arrived! Those guys are brutal!" She said in a warning tone, as she showed her friend the report she was doing.

"I know this sounds bad,but I wish I could see something like that." He said in an interested tone; looking at Renoir with excitement on his face.

"I might be able to arrange that someday." Renoir said in a playful tone; flashing Brooklyn a slight smirk. "I might even introduce you to the newest addition to the whales. Story goes that a lone orca is about to give birth to baby any week now."

"Really? That's incredible! I think Angela and Lexington would like to see that, too!" Brooklyn said excitedly.

"Who now?" Renoir asked in a clueless tone; trying to figure out who he was talking about.

"Angela's my rookery sister." Brooklyn said in a pleasant tone; giving Renoir a sweet smile.

"Just how many of you are there?" The girl in across the table asked in a confused tone; scratching her head. "I knew there are more than three of you, but no one ever said anything about a number."

Brooklyn chuckled at the girl. "Oh, there's a total of seven of us. There's: Angela, Broadway, Hudson, and Goliath," he started out; not knowing if it was a good idea to give out too much information, "you've already met me, Lex, and Bronx."

"Maybe we could all get to see the whales someday."

"I think you'd like Leviathan. He's real playful." Renoir said in a thoughtful tone; looking up into the air, as she was thinking. "I could show you his tank. Then I could show you how I work with him..."

"Who's this Leviathan? Is he one of the orcas or something?" Brooklyn asked with a silent jealousy showing in his eyes.

Renoir looked back down at Brooklyn and gave him her best smile. "Of course! He's one of the orcas I work with!" She told him in a mock scolding tone. "Leviathan is by far the biggest killer whale STARS has on record! And to think he's only two years old!"

Brooklyn laughed politely and took a drink of his soda. "It sounds like you really love those whales." He said in a laughing tone.

Renoir returned his laugh with one of her own. "No offense, but Bronx has nothing on Leviathan." She told him in a serious tone; looking him straight in the eye. "All I have to do is let him see me and he'll try to lick me through the observation part of his tank. I actually have a good picture of him looking like he was trying to eat me."

Brooklyn couldn't hold his laughter in anymore, and he let it out with full force. "Oh, man! I've got to see this guy!"

The two were caught up in all the joking that Renoir almost missed the frantic beeping coming from inside the floating house. She got up and quickly made her way inside to turn the annoying noise off. When she came back outside, Renoir was looking down at a beeper she was holding. She looked up at Brooklyn with apologetic eyes. "Excuse me a minute while I make a call. It won't take long, I promise."

Brooklyn nodded to the girl, and looked through her papers; allowing her to go back inside to get the phone. After a while, Renoir came back and sat down in front of her friend.

"I'm sorry, Brooklyn, but I have to go to work." Renoir said in a worried tone; quickly putting away her papers that were long since abandoned. "Apparently, Leviathan is acting up again, and I'm the only one he trusts."

"I can take you there if you want!" Brooklyn declared in a proud tone; puffing out his chest in hopes to impress his friend. "I could get you there in no time!"

Renoir considered Brooklyn's offer for a moment, but decided against. "I don't want you to get into trouble. And besides, whatever I might end could take HOURS! I don't think that'll be a good idea when the morning crew come in and see you there."

Brooklyn sighed and lowered his chest in defeat. He knew she was right, and given that he hardly knows her, he still hasn't told her about their stone sleep. He trusts her with his life, that's not the problem. But Goliath may not see it from his second's point of view.

Renoir picked up on his disappointed mood, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I promise you'll get your chance to see Leviathan and the others. And who really knows? You might even be able to bring a friend or two along to see him."

Brooklyn perked up at the young woman's promise, and gave her another happy smile. "Sure! They'd be great! Just pick a night and I'll be there!"

Renoir held out her hand and looked up at Brooklyn with a kind hearted smile. "I promise, Brooklyn. I'll show you to my little "family" one of these nights."

"Well, how about tomorrow night? That is, if you're not too busy." Brooklyn said in a reasoning tone; crouching down to be shorter than Renoir.

"I think I can get you in." She said in a thoughtful tone. "Sure. why not? Just come as soon as you can and that way you can meet the whales!"

And with that, Renoir locked up her home; taking her backpack of with her reports and documents with her as she left. Brooklyn watched the girl go with a slight pain in his chest. He shook it off and grabbed his new book; leaving the houseboat behind.

 **Once he made it safely home,** he was greeted by his clan. Eliza had already made it back and was saying that she hadn't found any monsters; making her captain slight at ease. Brooklyn had told the others that Renoir had seen her before he got to the house. Lexington asked if he had cleared things up with Renoir; smiling proudly when he got the answer that he wanted.

Brooklyn looked over at Eliza with a lazy smie. "I don't think we have anything to worry about this human." He said before he looked over at Goliath. "She wants to take us to see the orcas that she works with! I actually want to go to see them. And she said we could ALL go one of these nights!"

Lexington jumped up and down with excitement. "I want to go, too!" He declared in a childish tone; looking to Goliath for approval. "We should all go! I heard killer whales are very smart!"

"I've always wanted to see one up close! I bet they're even more wonderful in person!" Angela said in a happy tone, as she followed Lexington's example and looked to her father. "Can we go, father? Please?"

Goliath and Hudson looked to each other before giving the younger generation of the clan a warm smile. "You may go. Just remember to stay out of sight!"

Everyone eagerly nodded and they all took their places at their own respectful perch; getting ready for a decent day's sleep...


	5. Dirt Dancing

Chapter Five: Dirt Dancing

 _I've been on the losing side!_

 _I won't give up this time!_

 _I'm giving it all I've got this time!_

 _The game has changed this time!_

 _I'm making the rules!_

 _The game has changed this time..._

 _Are you ready?_

... While the gargoyles were off sleeping, Renoir was working at STARS. Leviathan, the orca, was put in an isolation tank away from his pod. He was put there because he apparently attacked one of the other three orcas that were with him. The orca that Leviathan had attacked was, Kyo. He was the newest member of the orcas. Kyo had been attacked by a great white, and was placed in Renoir's care. Her bosses had hoped that being around a younger female will help Leviathan get along with the other orcas on the account of Leviathan being so friendly. But fate had other plans. And those plans didn't involve Leviathan bonding with Kyo. The night crew that looked over the orcas while Renoir was away told her that he just slammed Kyo into the side of the tank.

Now, Renoir was sitting high above the water; looking over the large killer whale. She had requested that she transferred to the night crew and would pull double shifts to make sure she would be able to keep an extra eye on the huge whale killer as well as Kyo.

She let out a huge yawn and leaned all her weight on the rail; wishing for nothing more than to jump into the tank,and just swim around with the great beast.

She looked over her shoulder and saw one of the night crew walking into the room with a mop bucket and mop. "Hey, Renoir!" The man called out in a happy tone; waving to the girl on the overhead stands. "You're here late."

Renoir yawned again and waved back. "I'm pulling double-shifts today, Brock!"She called back. "Leviathan had been isolated and I'm going to take care Kyo while I'm at it."

Brock whistled at the girl in response. "You really love the orcas, don't you?" He asked as he began mopping up the area.

Renoir shrugged and leaned back against the rail. "They're like family to me." She replied in an honest tone. "I wouldn't know what to do if Xantos shuts this place down."

"I hear ya, girlie! The sharks are my buddies, too! Well, only when it comes to feeding time. Then they're all over me."

Renoir laughed at the man. "Don't let them hear you, Brock. They just might have to take YOU out for a swim with the fishes one of these days."

Brock laughed and went back to work. "Maybe. But not while I'm on guard."

 _'The sun's about to set soon. I sure hope Brooklyn gets my note.'_ Renoir thought to herself; checking her watch for the tenth time that evening and going back to see her large friend popping his head out of the water.

"You'll get to see my new friends soon, big guy. Just remember to be on your best behavior, okay?" She told the orca as she reached down to pet his nose; earning a happy whistle in response.

Leviathan lowered himself back down to the water. _'Are you going to let the others know about your secret?'_ the whale asked; talking to Renoir through his mind. _'Will I get to meet that Brooklyn character? Don't you think you should tell him? You DO seem rather fond of the lad.'_

Renoir chocked on her saliva for a second. "How could you even think that?! I haven't even known him for a week!" She protested with a humiliated blush spreading across her face. She then recovered and looked down at her charge swimming into the tank below. "I do have to admit that I have been wanting to share my secret with him and his family since I first saw him... but the fear placed into my heart always prevents me from doing so."

 _'Have you even tried to tell him? Maybe he is more open minded than you give credit for, child.'_ Leviathan replied as he dove into the water; shaking his tail before he was completely submerged. _'I think he would like to know who you really are. Tail and all!'_

Renoir sighed and pushed herself away from the rail. "THAT is a story for another time, my friend. Perhaps when I believe he is ready for that truth." She replied in a distant tone; walking off the platform.

Leviathan rose from the surface and watched Renoir climb down from the platform. _'Were you referring to their past, or your own?'_ He asked in a curious tone; watching her walk away from his tank.

"Both." She told the whale as she walked over towards the door. She turned back towards the whale with a playful smirk. "It's nightfall now. I'm going up to the roof to meet Brooklyn." She said in a gentle tone. "Heed my warning when I show you to him, okay?"

The whale said nothing in return. Instead, he just blew some water out of his blow hole and diving back into the water; moving to the other side of the tank and out of sight.

 **Eliza had just arrived moments before the gargoyles would awaken from the stoned sleep.** She knew Brooklyn and others would be going to meet Renoir at her house, but there was a funny feeling that the girl was hiding something from them all. Maybe even the world. She couldn't find anything on the girl or her family. No criminal records of any kind. Not even a parking ticket! But there was something BIG about Renoir. Something to do with the secret, but there wasn't anything bad on her. Ever since she mentioned something about that "Secret" ate away at the detective's heart. But the more she thought about it and Renoir, the more she felt a slight pain in her heart.

Eliza was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the familiar sound of stone cracking, and looked up to see her friends slowly starting to wake up. She gave them a moment or two before she would greet them like she usually does.

Angela and Goliath both greeted Eliza with a hug and a friendly paw from Bronx. Hudson kindly greeted their human friend before he retreated into the castle to his favorite room with his favorite chair and his favorite television. Broadway quickly went down to the kitchen; stopping briefly to say "Hello".

"We're going to get something to eat before we head off to see Renoir." Brooklyn told his commander before he greeted Eliza.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Brooklyn has a slight crush on the mysterious Renoir L'Orange." Eliza said in a joking tone; watching the gargoyle in question scurrying down to the kitchen.

"He seems certain we can trust her." Goliath stated in a fatherly tone; smiling proudly as he all but danced his way towards the opening that led into the castle.

"And he seems a lot more happier now that he met Renoir." Angela spoke up in a pleased tone; offering the two adults a bright smile. "I'm going to go with him to meet her!"

Goliath chuckled at his daughter, and placed a large hand on her shoulder. "You've never met this girl and you already are fond of her." He stated in a loving tone; embracing his child.

"I have no problems with you guys seeing her, just as long as you and the others STAY SAFE." Eliza said in a serious tone; giving Angela a look that said that she meant what she said.

"Eliza has a good point. You must stay safe." Goliath said as an order; giving Angela the same look.

Lexington jumped up onto a ledge and faced the trio with a nervous look. "Hey, I have no problems with Renoir if Bronx clobbered her and began licking her face." He said in a certain tone; nodding over towards Bronx - who was chewing on the bone Eliza gave him a few nights back.

 **As soon as Broadway and Brooklyn were finished eating,** Brooklyn made his way outside; getting ready to go down to the ocean to meet Renoir. He was actually about to leave when Lexington and the others came out. Lexington jumped up on the perch beside him;giving him a sly look.

"Where do YOU think you're going?" Lexington asked in a cheeky tone; keeping his eyes fixed on the second in command.

Brooklyn slapped his head and growled in annoyance. "For the third time, Lex!" He told his younger rookery brother. "I'm going to see Renoir! She's going to show me some pictures of her and whales. She says she hasa photo of her getting eaten by a whale she calls, "Leviathan"!"

Angela unfolded her wings and took a step back. "WHAT?!" She asked in a squeak; holding her hand to her mouth.

Brooklyn chuckled at his sister. "Relax, Angela, Renoir said she was standing outside of a tank and a killer whale was there with his mouth open. She's totally fine."

"Yeah, Angela,"Lexington said in a laughing tone, "It's called "trick photography" People can alter a photo of something to make it look like something else. Like an illusion."

Brooklyn snorted once and stood up on his feet. "Well, I'm going to go see Renoir... and if anyone wants to come along, feel free." And with that, Brooklyn jumped off his perch; spreading his wings to glide towards the city.

The remaining gargoyles looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Lexington didn't even have a second chance to think about following Brooklyn, as he too jumped off his own perch. He looked back at the other two standing side by side, and gave them a teasing look.

"Are you coming or what?" He asked in a challenging tone; smirking at the two before he turned around and headed off to catch up with Brooklyn.

Broadway looked over at his mate, and shrugged his shoulders before he took her hand; joining the other two retreating gargoyles off in the distance...

 **Brooklyn made it to Renoir's houseboat,** and looked around at the deck for his friend. "Renoir **?** Are you here?" He called out; still looking around.

"Maybe she's at work?" Lexington suggested in a logical tone; landing on top of the floating house. "You did say she works at STARS at one point."

Brooklyn looked over at the door leading inside and noticed a folded piece of paper taped onto it, and pulled it off; reading what the note said out loud.

 _"B, if you're reading this note. Then it means that I had to stay over to take of Leviathan. Sorry I missed you,buddy! I hate not being able to people face to face. But hey, the offer is still on the table. Sorry I couldn't talk to you tell you what was going on in person, R."_ He said out loud; not paying much attention to those he was reading the note to.

"Who's this Leviathan? And what offer is Renoir talking about?" Angela asked in a curious tone; looking over at Brooklyn and Lexington for answers. She saw Lexington shrug and looked back over at Brooklyn - whom was still reading the note.

Brooklyn looked up at Angela and gave her an impish grin before he climbed up at the top of the boat with Lexington. "Leviathan is a killer whale that Renoir takes care of. And last night she offered to show him to me." He replied before he shifted his weight on the roof; getting ready to take off. "You guys aren't SCARED to see a whale, are you?" He asked in a teasing tone; giving them a slight smirk before he jumped off; taking off for his next stop: STARS.

Everyone huffed and took off as well; leaving the houseboat. They had followed Brooklyn all the way to the building. They were shocked to see that it was a way's away from their previous location. Brooklyn was the first to spot something on the roof of the building. When he got closer, he noticed it was Renoir. Was she waiting for him? Had she planned on him finding her note?

Renoir looked up at the sky, and waved towards the gargoyle coming in for the landing. She gasped and took a few steps back; shock was clear on her face. Brooklyn held up his hands in surrender.

"Uh, hi, Renoir! I got your note..." He said in a nervous tone; giving her a shaky smile. "These are Angela and Broadway. I told you about them before, remember?"

Renoir took a few moments to let everything she and Brooklyn sank in; before she took a few steps forward, and offered them an uneasy smile. "That's right! I DO remember you talking about your friends last night! I was prepared for Lexington over there, but you guys just took me by surprise. Brooklyn never said how beautiful you are, Angela!"

Angela smiled brightly at Renoir and extended her hand in greeting. "Thanks, Renoir! You're very pretty, yourself!" Angela said in a happy tone; shaking the young woman's hand.

"Hi, Renoir! I'm Broadway! It's nice to meet the girl that Brooklyn couldn't shut up about for the past few nights!" The bulky gargoyle said in a pleased tone; nudging his second in command in the ribs. "You didn't say she was THIS pretty!" He said with a teasing wink; causing Angela to pinch his upper arm.

Renoir giggled and shook Broadway's hand; giving him a smile. "I still don't see this "beauty" Brooklyn's always going on about, but the compliment is welcomed." She replied in a friendly tone; turning back to go back inside. "I was on break when you guys came by, so I need to go back to work."

"Hey, Renoir," Lexington spoke up in a nervous tone; crawling over towards the girl.

Renoir stopped at the door and held her knees to look at him. "What's the matter, shorty?" She asked in a playful tone. Then a strange light flashed through her eyes. "Oh, right! Brooklyn must have told you guys about Leviathan!" She said in a happy tone. "You guys want to see my charges? I promise, you guys will absolutely LOVE him! If anything, you'll get a kick out of him!"

And with that, Renoir opened the door to go back inside; only to be stopped by Brooklyn.

"Are you sure it's safe to go in? I mean, what about the other workers?" He asked in a worried tone; looking to his clan mates for backup.

Renoir nodded to the others. "Oh, yeah. Brock is the cleaning crew, but he's already done with my area. As long as we stick to Leviathan, then we shouldn't have any problems. As for the other staff members, they should be heading home by now at the lobby. Like I just said, "no problems"! Mellow your yellows and take it easy! You're here to kick back and have fun! Not be worried!"

She stopped at the door, and turned back towards the gargoyles with a mock serious look on her face. "I only have one rule: BE QUIET on the way down to the tanks. The other orcas scare easily."

And soon enough, Renoir guided them down to the tanks unnoticed. Renoir whispered little facts about the orcas as she guided them through the rooms where the sea creatures were kept. Broadway seemed to like the shark tank and Renoir gave the sharks a dark glare before her smile quickly returned and guided them towards the dolphins. Angela liked how they jumped out of the water and appeared to wave at them as they passed by. And finally, it was time to show off the apple of Renoir's eye, the orcas.

Lexington jumped up on the steps and placed his hands on the glass tank; trying to see into the waters. "I thought Brooklyn said Leviathan was a huge killer whale. He looks so small from all the way back there." He said in a disappointed tone; looking out for a huge whale.

Renoir giggled at the smallest gargoyle and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "That's not Leviathan. This is Kyo. He's the youngest guesstimated orca." She told him in a sisterly tone; pushing him away from the tank, and guiding the rest into the other room.

"THIS is Leviathan. He's the biggest orca we have on record." She said in a playful tone; extending her arm towards the tank behind her. And just as she spoke those words, Leviathan pulled his head above the water as if he were greeting the new guests; nearly making Lexington jump out of his skin and causing the other three gargoyles to take a few shocking steps back against the wall behind them.

Renoir giggled at the three; holding her stomach from her laughing fit. "You guys are such babies. He was just saying hello!"

Brooklyn straightened himself and rubbed the back of his head. "I knew that. I was just acting scared because the other guys were."

Renoir rolled her eyes at the beaked gargoyle, and ran a hand through her hair. She then clapped her hands together and rubbed them on impact. "I've got to do my duty and feed this brat behind me." She said in a mild joking tone; pointing to Leviathan, whom was now bobbing his huge head in and out of the water with his mouth open and his tongue sticking out. "Anyone care to help bring in the food? It won't take long and I'll answer any questions after I feed him."

Brooklyn piped up and smiled excitedly at the girl. "I'll help! What do I have to do?" He asked in a ready tone; stepping up to Renoir.

Renoir returned Brooklyn's smile, and placed her hand on his back; gently pushing him towards the door they came out of. "I need some help with the food. I normally just slide it onto a trolly and push that inside, but Brock took it away for the night."

She then turned to the other three and gave them a sly smirk. "Bronx has NOTHING on Bronx when it comes time to feed." She told the others with a playful wink; pushing Brooklyn towards the door.

They duo returned shortly after bringing in two large buckets of tuna. Well, Brooklyn was handling the fish, anyway. Lexington held his breath at the nasty smelling fish, and looked up at Renoir with surprise in his large eyes.

"Does he actually eat those things?" He asked in a disgusted tone; not taking his eyes off the fish now.

Renoir rubbed the back of her head and took a bucket in each hand. "Well, Leviathan eats it. I think he actually likes eating great whites, but since that's not possible for him now, he just has to settle for these guys." She replies in an unsure tone.

"Can I help feed him?" Angela asks in a hopeful tone; looking over at Leviathan.

Renoir nodded and handed the female a bucket. "I don't have a problem with it if he doesn't." She tells her; looking back to see Leviathan nodded his head and bumping the side of the tank.

Renoir guided Angela up to the opening of the landing above the tank. "Just throw the fish into the water, and watch him get them. Just a few at a time; then he'll poke his head out of the you get to HAND him his food. THAT is where the fun is."

Angela and Renoir made it to their destination, and Leviathan was treading water just below the surface. There, Renoir threw in a bunch of fish for him, and the trio standing at the floor watched and cheered as they saw Leviathan began going after the fish. Once he was finished playing around with his meal, he popped half of his body above the water, and held his mouth open for the rest of his food.

"Now, all you get to actually PLACE the fish inside his mouth. He likes it when you do that. And then you can pet and play with him. Let me show you and I'll let you feed him the rest, okay?" Renoir instructed politely; taking Angela's shaky hand. "Don't worry about getting bit. Leviathan knows the difference between food and a hand."

And with that, Angela laid the dead fish in the orca's mouth, and watched him close his large mouth; throwing the food further back into his mouth while he ate. Angela laughed when he sprayed the two females as if he were asking for more.

"How can you be so calm when you have to look inside his mouth like this? I'm scared he'll grab me and drag me into the water with him." Angela said in a shaky tone.

"Well, not all orcas are this size, Angela." Renoir stated in a gentle tone, as she handed Angela a fish. "Most orcas only get to be about half this guy's size. But they're all just as deadly."

"How come he's so big? If he's not supposed to be that big?" Lexington called out; watching Renoir show Angela how to feed Leviathan.

"No one knows. Some of my co-workers think it might be what he was used to eating. Whereas others think it was where he lived. They're still debating about it, but I think he's just a big underwater teddy bear." Renoir said with a playful wink. "Watch." She ordered as she called out to Leviathan and opened her mouth as wide as she could.

Once Leviathan was paying attention, he followed Renoir's example and opened his mouth wide. Renoir looked over at Angela before she placed her hand inside the orca's mouth; rubbing his tongue. It was a little scary to see the human stick her hand inside the mouth. The whale didn't seem to mind and rather enjoyed the extra attention he was getting.

Renoir pulled her hand away and looked over at the trio. "Who wants in on the fun?"

The males looked at one another before Broadway and Lexington backed up and pushed their second in command forward; making Renoir smile sweetly at the red gargoyle.

"Oh, you two are such babies! Look, Brooklyn wants to feed Leviathan and you don't see HIM running with HIS tail between his legs!" She said happily as she motioned for him to come up and feed the orca.

Brooklyn sent a harsh glare that promised revenge. "Uh, maybe some other time, Renoir. I don't think he'll like me feeding him." Brooklyn said in a nervous tone; kindly declining Renoir's offer.

"And gargoyles HATCH from eggs!" Broadway said in a defensive tone; puffing out his chest in defiance; causing both Angela and Renoir to giggle in return.

"May I try to pet his tongue?" Angela asked in an innocent tone; looking at Renoir with pleading eyes.

Renoir smiled and rose to her feet. "Of course! I think he likes you better than me now anyway." She said as she leaned on the opposite side of the walk way. "Just call for him and open your mouth as wide as you can when he sees you."

Angela nods her reply and calls for the orca. Once Leviathan breaks the surface; Angela did as she was told and opens her mouth as wide as she could. The orca copied Angela's gesture and opened his mouth. Angela carefully stuck her tongue out and the whale followed her gesture; sticking his own tongue out to show her his powerful tongue.

Renoir guided Angela's hand down inside his mouth, and pulled it back and forth until she was used to the strokes. Renoir watched Angela's innocent face with a smile. "His tongue feels like some kind of rubber." The female gargoyle stated in an observing tone; gently rubbing Leviathan's tongue. "It feels strange knowing that he can close his mouth on me at any moment."

Leviathan pulled away from Angela's hand and dove back into the water; leaving her stunned. Instead he made his way over towards the trio standing outside of the tank. He opened his mouth at Lexington, whom was now the closest one to the tank. He bumped his nose against the tank and made a few squeaks and whistles at him. Once Lexington was close enough to the tank; Leviathan opened his mouth and looked like he wanted to eat the smaller gargoyle. The motion caused Lexington to laugh and he looked up at Renoir.

"I think he looks like he wants to eat you, Lex!" Broadway said in a teasing tone; laughing and pointing at the orca. "You must look good enough to eat, little buddy!"

Lexington glared over at his fattened friend, and folded his arms over his chest. Renoir slid down the ladder and stood in front of the smaller gargoyle; glaring angrily at Broadway.

"Don't make fun of him because of his size! And Leviathan is so gentle that a CHILD could swim with him!" She said with an angry growl. "Sorry, but I don't take bullying lightly. Not even when it comes to someone else!"

Brooklyn was taken aback by Renoir's outburst. He had known her to be alluring, shy, silly (referring to her calling herself a lunatic. (rev. ch.4)), but never angry. And for a split second, he thought he saw a flash of red run through her eyes.

"Whoa! Calm down, Renoir! I was just kidding around!" Broadway said in a defensive tone, as he held his hands up in surrender. He turned to Lexington with a shocked look, and lowered his ears and wings. "Sorry, Lex. I didn't mean any harm."

"It's alright, Renoir." Lexington said in a nervous tone; tugging on his friend's arm. "It doesn't bother me."

Renoir gave the smaller gargoyle a kind of motherly glare. She took a moment to let out a defeated sigh, and ran a hand through her shock white hair. "I just don't like to see others being picked on when it comes to Leviathan." She said in a defeated tone; walking over to the tank and taking a seat at one of the support beams keeping the large aquarium in place.

"Leviathan was with the other two orcas in the other tank, but someone from the team I work with claim that he attacked one of the other orcas." Renoir said in a hurt tone. "And who could blame them? He is larger than they are. But now that I've spent some one on one time with him, I just... I just can't... I can't see how they could even THINK he would do that to anyone! He loves his friends in that tank. It just reminds me of how people have treated me and seeing him like this..."

"It almost breaks your heart, doesn't it?" Brooklyn added in a sad tone; watching the orca swim around in the tank.

Renoir didn't look up at anyone, but nodded her reply. She took a deep breath and faced the others with a bright smile. "When you're bullied for being different... and getting laughed at while you're hurting inside... at some point in time, your heart breaks and your words die... And THAT'S something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, no I wouldn't."

Brooklyn groaned and took a seat in front of Renoir. "Oh, come on, Renoir! Wouldn't you want to make the ones who hurt you feel even a taste of what they've done to you? What they're still doing to you?" He asked in a out raged tone; his eyes glowing a slight white color. "I can't believe that you wouldn't WANT to get even with them? Most humans would!"

Renoir laughed and shook her head at him. "You're silly..." She said through her laugh; tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Haven't you figured it out yet? I'm not normal!"

"Yeah we gathered that much." Broadway said in a sarcastic tone; rolling his eyes at her.

Renoir smiled and shook her head. "At least it's not happening to someone else, right? I don't think it's so bad when I look at it that way. And that's good enough for me."

Everyone looked down at the ground while they took a moment to process everything that Renoir had just told them. Broadway and Angela never really believed everything Brooklyn and Lexington told them until just now. Renoir had many sides to her, and shifts back and forth between all of them as soon as she reaches one. They believed them when they told them that there was something about listening to that girl that just draws her to them. No human had actually had that effect of them like Renoir did. There was no way she could be human!

"Well, enough about my silly life!" Renoir said in a happy tone; looking up at everyone with a brave smile. "What about you guys? Where did you come from? What do you do for fun? Curiosity is traking a serious bite outta me! "

Brooklyn chuckled and stood up; pulling Renoir up with him. After he told the story (with comments from everyone else) Renoir stood in awe at the gargoyles and blinked rapidly at them. Broadway chuckled at the girl's amazement, but Brooklyn could see that she was concerned about something.

"I can understand what it's like to be betrayed by humans you promise to protect." Renoir said in a whisper; not looking them in the eye.

"But you ARE human, aren't you, Renoir?" Lexington asked in a accusing tone; crouching down to get more comfortable as he looked up at the human.

Renoir gasped and rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, of course I am! I'm as human as they come! Ha, ha, ha." She said with a nervous laugh in her voice.

"Hold on a minute... There's something you're not telling us, isn't there, Renoir?" Brooklyn asked in an intelligent tone; eyeing Renoir closely.

"I'm not hiding anything from anybody, no I'm not!" Renoir said with an edgy tone; backing away from the group slowly.

"There's no way you could be human if you keep referring to your kind like you do. And the way you talk, the way you look, and let's not forget the way you act." Lexington replied in an accusing tone; looking up at Renoir with contempt.

"No human could ever be as nice as you are. There's clearly something wrong with this picture." Brooklyn said, "No way."

Renoir looked like a deer caught in a set of headlights now. Sweat was shown dripping from her face. She looked around for an escape and tried to think of a way to get out of explaining things to her. She looked into the tank and saw Leviathan staring straight at her.

 _'A fish out of water.'_ He thought to the girl; making Renoir glare at him.

"What's going on, Renoir? Don't you trust us enough to tell us?" Brooklyn asked in a worried tone; lifting a hand towards her.

 _'Might as well get it over with, girl.'_ Leviathan advised in a strong tone; bumping the tank to get someone's attention.

Renoir looked away at everyone, and sighed. She knew there was no escape now. She had to tell them the truth...


	6. Truth Be Told

Chapter Six: Truth Be Told

 _It's the half truths,_

 _that never seem to make a whole._

 _With one truth,_

 _comes a thousand more lies!_

 _How many lies have to be told?_

 _How lives have to be lost?_

 _How many hearts have to break?_

 _One more should do the trick..._

... Brooklyn and his clan mates all waited for Renoir to tell them what's going on. She looked like she was lying, but how long as she been lying? Who else has she lied to? They knew from the start that she wasn't telling them the whole story, and now they had just caught her. And it looked like she was about to crack.

"Honestly, guys," Renoir began in a nervous tone, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't give me that!" Brooklyn said in an angry tone; giving her a rough glare. "I thought we were friends! And friends trust each other!"

Renoir's soft eyes turned cold and hard. "It's not like that, Brooklyn!" Renoir declared in a defensive tone; returning Brooklyn's glare. "The secret isn't mine to share!"

"Ah ha! So you ARE keeping something from us!" Lexington stated in an all knowing tone; smiling smugly at the girl.

Renoir sighed and sat back down against the tank; bringing her knees up to her chest and locking her arms around them. She looked down at her knees, and then back up at the gargoyles with the same bright smile.

Renoir looked down at her watch, and unlocked her arms from her knees. She looked up at Leviathan, whom just returned back from taking a breath. Then she sat up straight and looked over at the others.

"Will someone please lock and cover the doors? I'm going to break enough rules at it stands, and I don't need anyone else finding out." She spoke in a broken tone as she slowly stood up; removing her jacket and taking her shoes off.

Brooklyn and Lexington both looked at each other and rushed over towards the door they came through; opening it to see if anyone was coming before they ducked back inside and locked the door; using the cover above the window to conceal whatever Renoir has in store for them. They hurried and did the same to the windows.

Angela and Broadway followed the others' example and did what they have done. They quickly joined back at the place Renoir had been, and found her standing up on the bridge. This time, she was wearing a one piece swim suit that looked like it was a uniform; standing on the edge and holding onto the rail for dear life.

"RENOIR?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Brooklyn roared in shock; gripping his hands into tight fists.

"Get down from there! It's too dangerous!" Lexington cried out in panic; not knowing what to do.

Angela looked up at Renoir with worry in her eyes. "Are you mad? You'll get hurt!"

Renoir looked back at the others with a faint smile, and turned around to face inside the bridge. "You want to know so bad, and now you're backing out?" She asked in a threatening tone; giving them a wicked smirk. "I don't think so."

And just like before, the familiar numbing sensation came back, and Renoir's legs began to glow a bright red light against her legs. Brooklyn had just made it to the bridge and dove over to her before she let go of the rail; falling into the water with a loud splash.

"NO!" Brooklyn cried as he reached out; only to grab air and watching Renoir fall into the water.

Once the light had died down into the water, Renoir's legs were now a gray tail. Brooklyn could see Renoir's upper half treading water,but not see her tail. He thought she might be looking around.

"Whoa! Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing!" Lexington shouted in surprise; walking up to the tank and placing his hand on the glass.

"She's a mermaid!" Angela cried out in delight, as she watched Renoir show off her skills; making circles and flipping around.

"That's the secret she's been hiding! She has a tail!" Brooklyn said in an amazed tone; watching Renoir from the top of the water.

Renoir swam over towards the gargoyles standing outside of the tank; placing her hand right in from the smaller gargoyle's hand offering him a faint smile. She looked down at her tail, and lifted it up to the side; flipping it slowly back and forth so the others know it wasn't a hoax. It really was a REAL tail. She saw the gargoyle's curious expression, and shook her head; tapping on the tank to make some noise to show that it wasn't a dream. She was a real living, breathing mermaid!

She then pointed up towards the top; as if she were telling them all to go up to the surface while she pushed herself away from the tank, and swimming her way up to the surface. Once everyone was there, she broke surface; gasping for air.

"This is what you've been hiding?" Brooklyn asked in a surprised tone; looking Renoir up and down, "This is amazing!"

Renoir shied away from them, and flipped her tail a few times. "I couldn't tell you because there's a curse on all of my kind that prevents us from verbally speaking about our secret. When we're dry, mermaids lose their tails, and vice-versa when we're wet." She explained in a lazy tone; looking down at her tail in shame; lifting it out of the water.

"May I touch your tail? I've never touched a mermaid's tail before." Angela asked in an innocent tone; reaching out to touch the tail.

Renoir laughed and pulled her tail up out of the water; lying it down on the bridge for the gargoyles to touch. "Just don't scratch the scales, alright? I just had them done." She said in a joking tone; giving it one last flap before letting it lay limp.

Everyone tried to touch the tail as gently as possible, and began asking all their questions at one. Renoir laughed when she saw Brooklyn raising a shaky hand to her long gray tail, and jerked it upwards; causing him to jump back. She told him she was only joking, and allowed him to touch her tail.

"You must promise not to speak of this to another, okay? If people knew what I was, they would try to catch me and make me grant their wishes." Renoir said in a pleading tone once everyone was finished touching her scaly tail.

"What do you mean? Like magic or something?" Lexington asked in a curious tone; not taking his eyes off her tail.

Renoir nodded. "Don't you know how to read? What's the matter with you?" She asked in disbelief. "You'll find everything you want to know about my kind in books. Well, The Little Mermaid is a bad example, but you get the idea."

"I remember reading a book about mythology. I've seen all kinds of books about mermaids in Xanatos's library! I read about them a while ago!" Angela said in an excited tone.

Renoir gave Angela a playful smirk, and leaned against the opening. "The Little Mermaid is a bad example, Angela. But anything else you've heard about us are true."

"Is it true that mermaids are immortal?" Lexington asked in a curious tone; giving Renoir an excited smile. "How do you live under water? Where have you been hiding all this time and not get noticed by humans? Do all mermaids look like you? Are there any more of your kind in the ocean?"

Renoir laughed and slapped her tail against the ground. She then took her jacket, and began to dry herself off; her tail beginning to split in two. "Your questions will have to wait for another time, Lexington." She said in a disappointed tone; giving him a sad smile. "The sun's about to come up, and it'd be real hard to explain to the others how a bunch of statues standing on the bridge."

Brooklyn looked over at the clock beside the door, and gasped. "She's right! Dawn is just a few hours away!" He said in a startled tone; looking at the others with worry on his face. "We gotta book it if we don't want to get caught!"

Everyone started to head down towards ladder, when Brooklyn noticed Renoir was still sitting down in her original spot. He turned around and saw that she had a pleading look on her face.

"What's wrong, Renoir? Aren't you going to get up and get ready to leave yourself?" He asked in a curious tone.

Renoir sighed and shook her head. "When I get my legs back, I lose all strength to hold my body up right let alone walk down the street. I have to wait till my strength gets back before I can actually move again. It takes a while before I can walk again. It's sort of like a deal with the devil. Most of my kind don't come above the surface because it's such a pain to walk like normal people do."

Brooklyn's ears perked up and he stood to his full height. "I can take you home if you want! It'll be no problem!"

Renoir looked at Brooklyn for a moment before she nodded and grabbed her clothes; slipping them on with the help of a blushing Brooklyn. "I wouldn't mind the help, just don't get any ideas." She said in an easy-going tone; holding her arms out to him. "But HOW are we going to get ME home and YOU back home before dawn?"

Brooklyn smiled a real smile, and scooped Renoir into his arms. He held her close to his warm body. "Don't worry about that, Renoir. Let's just worry about getting you home safely first." He answered her in a coy tone, as he carefully made his way down the ladder.

"What about Leviathan?" Angela asked in a worried tone; watching him lift his head above the water.

Renoir looked back at the tank, and saw him nodding to her before he went back under the water and swimming out of view. "He'll be fine until I get back. He knows how bothersome it is for me after to get my legs back." She told her in a casual tone.

Everyone said their farewells to the orca before they silently made their way to the exit; turning the lights out as they left. Angela and Lexington held the door open for Brooklyn as they made their way up to the roof as quickly and quietly as possible. Broadway covered the rear as they made their way upwards, and Lexington scouted up ahead with Angela staying in front of Brooklyn to make sure they could be protected.

When they all reached the roof, they took turns jumping off the building. Brooklyn was the last the leave and he stepped up to the edge. Renoir looked down, and saw the long drop; tightening her hold around Brooklyn's neck.

"Hey, relax, Renoir," he cooed at her as if she were a small hatchling going for their first gliding lesson, "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

Renoir gave the gargoyle a faint smile. "Drop me and I'm going to haunt you to the grave, bird boy."

Brooklyn raised a brow at the girl in his arms. "Bird... boy?" He said in a laughing tone; giving her his best smile. "You're a silly mermaid, aren't you?"

Renoir shrugged her shoulders, and grinned at the gargoyle. "Well, it was either "Bird boy" or "Bird brain". I just picked the ladder." She said with a joking wink.

Brooklyn let out a loose laugh and jumped off the building; causing Renoir to bury her head in his neck on instinct. Once he was steady, he looked down to see Renoir looking down at the city below.

"How's the view?" Brooklyn asked in a friendly tone; giving her his best smile.

Renoir looked up at Brooklyn with a longing smile. "Since I was small, I would swim so fast and jump out of the water. Those times, I pretended I was flying through the air." She said in a wondering tone.

Brooklyn followed the others towards the docks and looked on ahead with a lazy smile. "Yeah, I know what you mean." He said in a calm tone;looking out at the city below. "So, what's it look like down there?" He suddenly asked as tried to make conversation with the watery bundle in his arms.

Renoir looked up at Brooklyn with surprise in her eyes. She shook her head as if trying to tell him that she didn't know what he was talking about.

"The ocean? What's it like down there? Is it anything like in the books?" He corrected himself in a smooth tone; giving her a curious smile.

"Those humans tend to capture the best parts of the ocean, but they always seem to sugar-coat it. It's not THAT great." Renoir replied in a lazy tone as she looked a little aloof from the topic.

"You're judging it by the way you've been treated, aren't you?" The gargoyle stated more than he asked. "It can't be as bad as you make it sound, right?"

Renoir let his words sink in for a moment; then she nodded to him with a defeated sigh. "You're right, of course. There are a lot good points about the ocean, but I prefer land over sea now." She said in a flirting tone; tightening her arms around Brooklyn's neck.

Brooklyn grinned and tightened his own arms around Renoir's body. And the two stayed in a comfortable silence. Once they made it back to the boathouse, Brooklyn placed Renoir down on her feet. Lexington pulled out one of the chairs for the girl.

"I'm sorry I wasn't much fun after our little party at STARS," she told the gargoyles as she sat down, "but I promise next time you visit, we'll have all kinds of fun!"

"Are you kidding?!" Broadway said in an excited tone as he offered Renoir a happy smile; taking Angela's hand in his own. "We won't be able to stop thinking about you for a long time now that we know about you!"

Renoir laughed and rested an arm against the table. "That's a mermaid's charm! Once a land creature sees us, then they will stop at nothing to see us again. Another reason for us to stay hidden." She told him in a wise tone.

"If it's so much trouble for you to come on land, then why not just stay in the ocean?" Brooklyn asked in a curious tone; shrugging his shoulders at Renoir.

Renoir smiled sweetly at Brooklyn. "Because there are few of us that believe we can live in peace with humans once again." She explained in a gentle tone; taking his hand in her own. "Our beliefs are not as different as your own. Our history isn't that much different than yours, either."

"What do you mean? Have your kind lived with humans at one point, too?" Lexington asked in a curious tone; scratching his head in confusion as his brain tried to sort out the information it was given.

Renoir laughed once again at the smaller gargoyle's questions. "That, Lexington, is a story for another time. I think that's enough questions for one night, don't you think?" She said in a cryptic tone as she looked up at the sky to see that the sky was about to enter its twilight hours.

"You're right, Renoir," Angela said in a sad tone; letting her ears and wings drop in disappointment, "my father would surely be worried about us by now."

"I would at least walk you guys to higher ground," Renoir offered in a reasoning tone; letting her hands fall to her lap, "but my strength hasn't fully returned yet."

Brooklyn perked up and crouched down to Renoir's level. "It's alright, Renoir. We understand." He said in a reasoning tone; placing his hand on top of hers.

"Will we get to see you again? I'd like to learn more about you." Angela and Lexington said at the same; causing everyone else to giggle and them to blush in embarrassment.

"I don't see why not. I'm on night shift now, so I'll be able to sleep all day like you guys and stay up all night with you guys. Just make sure it's alright with your clan before you take off. I don't want to be a bad influence on you guys." Renoir assured them with a playful wink.

And with that, the gargoyles climbed up on top of the roof of the boat, and one by one, they jumped off and glided around the boathouse; testing the wind currents before taking off for the city.

Brooklyn was the last to leave, and before he took off, he gave Renoir a happy smile when she asked for a hug before he took off. He crouched down in front of her and carefully wrapped his arms around her middle, as she wrapped her own around his neck.

"Thanks for being so demanding, Brooklyn." Renoir whispered in a silvery tone; giving his neck a slight squeeze. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to tell you who I was. Thank you for finding me again."

Brooklyn looked down at Renoir and blushed at her. "I didn't find you all by myself. As much as I would've wanted to." He whispered back as he let go of her, and climbing to the top of the boathouse; giving her a longing wave before taking off. He tested the currents before he hovered above the boat.

"I'll see you later, Renoir!" He called out in a happy tone; taking off to catch up with his friends.

"Until next time, Brooklyn!" Renoir called out to the fleeting gargoyle before she leaned back into her seat; letting out a tired sigh. She looked around and pushed herself up out of the chair, she then tested her legs to see if she could make it inside the house at least.

It looked like she wasn't back to full strength, but she was able to get herself into the house by using things around her to climb and latch on. She made it without too much trouble, and found a cane that her grandfather had given her when she first arrived, and used it to get around the house. She made it into her room, and changed into her pajamas, which were simple black shorts and a red tank top. She moved slowly over towards the dresser; getting ready to brush out her hair.

Just as she was in the middle of brushing her hair, her reflection began to swirl and a mermaid took its place; making Renoir take a step back. The mermaid had a bright blue tail with black eyeballs and had scary red eyes. Her hair was a chocolate brown color and had pale blue highlights. She had scales at the hairline of her scalp that covered that half of her forehead; the similar thing to the mermaid's left cheek. The scales on her left cheek stretched down to her jaw, and come right back up and covered her temple in dark gray scales.

The mermaid looked like she could be related to Renoir, maybe a sister or aunt -possibly even her mother. But whoever it was, she didn't look too happy in the mirror. And it was making Renoir very uncomfortable. The mermaid looked like it was talking to her, but no words could be heard. Then all at once, not a whisper nor word could reach Renoir's ears! It was a deafening silence that left Renoir scared out of her mind. She was frozen in fear and screamed when the image inside the mirror came out of the glass, and attacked her; scratching her as she tried to strangle the helpless land locked mermaid.

"Not there... Not there... Not there..." Renoir screamed out in terror, as she tried to hold off the attacker; closing her eyes tightly. She growled and summoned all her strength, and pushed the watery creature off herself. "NOT THERE!"

Once Renoir opened her eyes, she saw that the creature was nowhere in sight. It was like nothing ever happened! Like magic! She reached for her neck, and felt a harsh sting; pulling her hand away to see some blood on her fingers. So it was real! She wasn't going crazy! And the fear made it that much worse.

Fear had frozen Renoir once again, but unlike last time, she scrambled towards the side of the bed closest to the window. She pulled the blanket off the bed, and buried herself within it; trying her best to hide from the mirror. She was too scared to move, and she never felt so trapped. It was the worst feeling in the world right now, and Renoir didn't know what to do. So, she just sat there and sobbed; having nothing else to do as she rocked herself back and forth...


	7. A Little Faster

Chapter Seven: A Little Faster

 _This is the view from the other side..._

 _They took me for granted..._

 _What are the chances,_

 _my heart has died?_

 _I haven't done anything to deserve this!_

 _Do you really think,_

 _that I've earned it?_

 _I finally figured it all out:_

 _You're all the same..._

It had been a going on a few weeks since the gargoyles had last seen the mermaid. Brooklyn and the others couldn't neglect their duties to the city any longer, but would stop by to see if they could find Renoir at her house, or even a note telling them where she was, and stopping by STARS to see if they could see her standing out on the roof. But they haven't seen hide nor hair of the girl, and were starting to get worried for the girl. It was almost like she dropped off the face of the earth. They all assumed that Renoir was busy at first with assurance from Goliath and the others that she probably had gotten wrapped up in work, but that ship can only hold water for so long.

Tonight marked the second week, and the younger gargoyles could not have been any more worried for the girl. What happened to her? Did something happen to make her stop seeing them? Had her grandfather found out she had befriended them and forbade her from making contact with them? Did she move back home? Where was her home anyway? Did she not want to see Brooklyn anymore? What about the rest of the clan? They couldn't stop the questions that ran wild through their minds. If it wasn't driving them all insane, it was driving Brooklyn crazy.

"What's the matter, Brooklyn?" Goliath asked his second in command; resting his hand on his shoulder. "You've been troubled by something for a week now."

"It's Renoir." Brooklyn said simply. "I can understand her being wrapping up in work for a few nights, but it's going on two weeks! I'm starting think something might've happened to her." Brooklyn stated in a worried tone; looking to his leader for wisdom.

"It sounds like you're fond of this creature, lad." Hudson said in a coy tone; placing his hands on his hips with and smug smile.

Brooklyn chocked on his breath, and coughed a few times. "Wha? No, of course not! I'm just worried about her is all!" He said in a shocked tone; shaking his hands in front of him in protest.

Hudson laughed at the younger gargoyle and patted his shoulder. "Relax, laddie!" He said in a happy tone. "I was just havin' a bit o' fun with ya."

Brooklyn relaxed his body and let out a sigh of relief. "I know I haven't known Renoir very long, but I just KNOW that she wouldn't pass up a chance to see us! I just know it!" He pleaded with Goliath; trying to reason with him and his fears.

His leader seemed to have understood his second's feelings about the girl. He knew about the secret that the girl had shared with his clan, and wanted to meet her himself, but with her sudden disappearance, didn't think now was a good time to show her his huge size and destroy his second's chance at a possible mate. He noticed that Brooklyn had been acting differently since the night he met Renoir, and thought it was a positive change for the whole clan to meet someone as unique as themselves. It was so refreshing to see Brooklyn so in love, and he had a good feeling about Renoir when his own daughter conversed with him about what had happened that night she got to meet the object of Brooklyn's affections. He saw a change in the younger gargoyles that made him wish to nourish the change.

"If you are that troubled," Goliath said in a reasoning tone as he placed a hand on Brooklyn's shoulder; causing him to look up at him, "I can take your patrol for the night so you can go check up on her. But if you do find her, and something HAS in fact happened, be sure to bring her here and I will collect Eliza." He ordered in a firm tone; giving his second a faint smile.

Brooklyn returned the smile and jumped off his perch; shouting a promise as he glided out of sight. He couldn't explain it if he tried, but he knew something was wrong, and he knew she was at home. He had a sinking feeling his heart, and it was slowly floating down to the bottom of his stomach. And it only grew as he neared the docks.

"Renoir? Are you there?" Brooklyn called out when he landed safely down on the deck of her houseboat; looking around for any signs of his friend.

He looked at the door, but found no note telling him where she was. He looked around, and saw that the car her grandfather normally drives wasn't parked in the parking lot behind the boat; telling him that he was probably at the lighthouse as she explained to him at one point in time. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but when he did, the door fell open, and he blinked in surprise.

"Unlocked?" he whispered to himself as he stuck his head in; looking around to see if he could see the mermaid. "Renoir? Are you in there?" He called out into the silence. He pushed the door all the way opened and took a few steps inside. "If you're in here, I'm coming in." He called out once more before he closed the door behind him; walking through the house.

He heard the faint sound of something hitting something else, and followed the sound until he reached the back of the houseboat. He came across a room with strange markings on it and guessed it was Renoir's room. The sound was louder on the other side of the door, and the feeling returned with full force.

He tested the knob before he pushed the door open. It was dark in the room, but he could make out movement on the side of the bed. He saw the blanket covering the moving figure, and looked down at the ground, and found a small trace of blood found there. He gasped and crouched down to feel it. The coppery smell told him that it was there for a few weeks. It was the same time he last saw her! So, he gut was right all along! Something HAD happened to her!

He crawled over towards the moving figure; stopping just in front of it. "Renoir?" He asked quietly; reaching out to pull the blanket down from her head.

Once he pulled the cover, the coppery smell hit his nostrils and there he saw where the blood on the floor had come from. It was from her neck! Something or someone had attacked his friend!

Renoir gasped and stopped rocking to look up at Brooklyn. "B-B-Brook-lyn." She croaked; her voice hoarse with her crying and sobs.

Brooklyn's heart took control of his body, and he grabbed the girl; pulling her as close to his body as he could. "It's alright, Renoir." He spoke soothingly as he cradled the girl in his arms. "I've got you now."

Renoir began to cry harder as she wrapped her arms around his neck; burying her face i his collar bone. "B-Brooklyn!" She cried out; shaking with each passing sob.

Brooklyn's heart twisted in his chest as he held her tighter; stroking her silvery hair and cooing in her ear. "Don't worry, Renoir. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

He then gathered the girl in his arms, and laid her down on the bed; crouching down in front of her. He rubbed her arms in an attempt to comfort her, but she was still scared.

"Can you hear me?" He asked the girl lying on the bed; hoping to coax her into telling him what happened. "Can you tell me what happened to your neck?"

Renoir grabbed a hold of the side of her bed; pulling herself up into a sitting position with the help of Brooklyn. She brought her knees to her chest, and buried her face in them; only then did she stop shaking.

Brooklyn looked around the room, and back at Renoir. "Where do you keep the first aid?" He asked in a pleading as he placed his hand on top of her head.

Renoir let out a shiver, and lifted her hand to point to the closet. "Top... shelf... can't miss it." She said in a forced tone; not lifting her head to see her friend.

Brooklyn nodded and made his way to the closet; pulling it open to find a box labeled, "First Aid" on the front of several other boxes. He pulled it down and went over towards the other side of the bed; climbing up next to the girl. He opened the box after he peeked at her before he pulled out some bandages and peroxide. He pulled out a small cloth and poured some of the smelly water onto it and looked over at the girl.

"I need you to lean back, so I can clean up that cut on your neck." He told her in a gentle tone as he placed his free hand on her shoulder.

Renoir sighed shakily and did as she was told. Brooklyn blushed when he pulled her hair back; being as gentle as he could while he began to clean the wounds.

"...my mother..." She whispered in a weary tone; not looking Brooklyn in the eye.

Brooklyn's eyes darted to her face before he went back to cleaning out Renoir's wounds. "Your mother? Was she..." He asked before he trailed off; losing his voice to finish his question.

A fresh wave of tears fell from Renoir's bloody eyes and she closed her eyes tightly. "She come to me from the mirror, and attacked me... it's not like I didn't deserve it, though. I DID run away from home."

Brooklyn growled at the girl's words, as he began to apply some healing ointment on the wounds around her neck. Now it made sense: She wasn't only attacked by the people she grew up with, she was attacked by her own blood! And it made Brooklyn all the more angry. But he didn't want to stress his friend out even more, so he played it down and kept that temper of his in check.

Once he was done, he placed the left over materials back in the box, and placed it at the foot of the bed. He leaned back against the wall of the bed, and looked over at Renoir; whom now wrapped her arms around her knees again. He sighed and placed a hand on her lower arm in an attempt to comfort her.

"Thank you for finding me... again." She mumbled through her knees.

Brooklyn gave the mermaid a weak smile. "I'll always find you, Renoir. I promise..." He replied in a soothing tone as he placed the hand he had on her arm to the small of her back.

As if by magic, Renoir unlocked her knees and leaned against the gargoyle's side. "I only wish I were apart of your world. Life would be so much easier for the both of us." She whispered in a hoarse tone; snuggling as close as possible to the red gargoyle on her bed.

Brooklyn looked down at the girl, and gave her another weak smile; placing his arm around her shoulder to hold her closer to his side. He sighed and leaned his head against the crown of her own. "I think you'd look even more beautiful with a pair of wings..." He said in a dreamy tone; pulling the blanket tighter around the girl's body.

Renoir smiled up at the gargoyle, and rested her head on his shoulder. "It's nice to know that at least one person on land cares for me." She said in silvery tone.

Brooklyn blinked down at the girl, and shook his head at her. "I'm not the only one who cares about you, Renoir. Angela, Broadway and Lexington like you, too!" He said in a defensive tone; giving her a playful smile. "Though, I don't think any of them like as much as I do!"

Renoir let out a small giggle and gave him a quick peck on the side of his beak. "Oh, I knew that since the night I met you again." She told him in a gentle tone; giving him her bravest smile. "I knew it was fate since the last time I saw you at the castle."

Brooklyn tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?" He asked her as the wheels began turning in his mind; trying to figure out what she was saying.

Renoir sighed and looked out the window. "I was actually going to tell you guys that I used to watch you from the ocean a thousand years ago." She replied in a guilty tone;giving him a weakened smile. "I was going to tell you after about that after you found out about my tail. I mean, I DID tell you I was immortal that night, didn't I?"

Brooklyn's eyes widened as memories from that time came running back. "You were there?" He asked her in disbelief. "How come you didn't show yourself to anyone back then?"

Renoir sighed and pulled away from the gargoyle; leaning back against the wall behind her. "The story is told, though who can say if it was true," she told him in a gentle tone, "but we, too, were betrayed by the humans and I don't know if you know this, but there was something about betrayal that leaves a mark on you that never really goes away. We used to live openly among the humans as you have done and are still doing."

"But the story doesn't stop there, does it?" He asked in a hopeful tone; looking over to Renoir with a kindness in his eyes.

Renoir nodded in agreement. "That's right. After we were nearly extinct, the rest of us fled to the ocean, never to be seen from again. However, we still needed to breathe air, so we would rise out of water at odd times to breathe. I found the castle you called home to be my favorite place to breathe. I would stay up there to watch you and the other gargoyles. I returned to the surface at every sunset to watch you awaken and start your nights."

"Were you there when the castle fell?" Brooklyn asked in a hopeful tone; watching her nod and hang her head.

"My heart broke that day the Vikings destroyed your clan. But no matter how much I wanted to stop them, there was little I could've done. And in more ways than one, I had died that night when your leader had placed your stoned bodies at the castle. I saw a wizard cast a spell on him and turned him to stone as well! I never felt so alone in my life! But I had stayed and would look to the castle every night in hopes of seeing you awaken."

Brooklyn was at a loss of words when she finished telling him the truth. This time, he KNEW she told him everything, and sparred no details. He felt her tense up at his side and looked to him with those eyes that made his own heart break.

"Please don't hate me, Brooklyn! You must understand that there was nothing I could've done to help you! No matter how much I've wanted to come up on land and bring you back! I would've given my life to save you!" She pleaded with him in a desperate tone; taking a hold of his upper arm.

Brooklyn hugged the girl close to his body and rested his head on top of her own. "I could never hate you, Renoir. I'm just so shocked that you knew me back then." He told her in a gentle tone. "I'm shocked that you stayed with us all those years. It must have been so hard for you."

Renoir shrugged her shoulders and snuggled up to his warm body; taking in his unforgettable concrete scent. "I'm just glad we finally connected. That's good enough for me." She said in a bashful tone; giving her angel of the skies a sweet smile.

Brooklyn chuckled and shook his head with amusement in his eyes. "You're the strangest creature I'll ever meet." He told her in a teasing tone; causing her to smile even brighter at him. He looked around at the room, and noticed that it was a bit of a mess near the closet mirror, and looked back at the girl in his arms.

"So, how long have you been locked up in here, Renoir?" Brooklyn asked her in a calm tone; looking down at her with concern in his eyes.

Renoir's smile faded and she looked away. "I haven't left the house since the night you found me out." She told him in an honest voice, and she allowed a stray tear fall from her bloody eyes. "After you left, I made my way into the house and got ready for bed. I was brushing out my hair when my reflection- changed! Mother came out of the mirror, and-and-and..." Renoir let out a frustrated scream and embedded her nails deep into her palms; drawing fresh blood from her skin. "I couldn't even fight her off!"

Brooklyn pushed her away from him and grabbed her hands to stop her from further injuring herself. "Are you sure it was your mother?" He asked in a worried tone; nearly dreading the answer.

Renoir clung to Brooklyn with the fear of him leaving. "It was my mother, Brooklyn...She-she found me..." Renoir said in a hoarse tone; losing her voice as she spoke.

Brooklyn shushed the girl, as he pulled her back into his arms. "It'll be okay, Renoir." He told her in a soothing tone; rocking her back and forth as he stroked her hair.

"I don't know what to do anymore..." Renoir said in a broken tone; tears slipping from her bloody eyes as she looked at him.

Brooklyn sighed again, and placed his talons on top of her head, when she leaned against him. "You can't stay here, you know that right?" He asked her in a gentle tone; leaning his own head against hers.

Renoir looked up at the red gargoyle and then out the window. "Where else can I go? I don't have anywhere else to go." She told him in a sad tone; refusing to look up at him.

Brooklyn tightened his grip around her tiny body. "Your mother will just keep attacking you if you stay here. I don't ever want to see you hurt, Renoir."

Renoir sighed and looked out her window to see the ocean in the distance. "But where can I go? I'll most likely not make it back to land if I go back home... And grandfather is my only link to this world. If I leave him, then where can I go and be safe?" She asked the gargoyle next to her; not looking back at him.

Brooklyn's eyes softened and slowly got up off the bed; moving around it to crouch down in front of Renoir. "I know a few places where she will never find you!"

Renoir finally looked back at her friend with hollow eyes. "And where would said places be?" She challenged; being open to suggestions.

Brooklyn's eyes lit up with excitement and he grabbed Renoir's hands in his larger ones. "Well, one place is with me and my clan at the Eerie Building!" He blurted out; shrinking back. "Uh-and another one is with Eliza."

Renoir gave Brooklyn a curious look before she nodded. "If it's all the same to you, Brooklyn," she started out slowly, "I don't think it'll be a good idea to reveal myself to Detective Maza. I already have to grant your clan's wishes. I can't handle a human's wish."

Brooklyn tilted his head to the side in confusion. "You still haven't explained that one to me." He said in a blunt tone.

Renoir sighed and shook her head at the beaked gargoyle in front of her. "It's law for a mermaid to grant someone's wish once they've been caught. Be it gargoyle or human. We can refuse all we want, but our captive's wish will forever haunt us till we grant their wish." She explained in a logical tone; giving Brooklyn a nervous smile. "Makes sense why my kind have strayed from this world in the first place."

"If it's such a pain to grant wishes; then why even bothering coming to land?" Brooklyn asked in a challenging tone as he looked up at the mermaid.

Renoir looked back down at Brooklyn for a moment; then looked back at the window. "A mermaid or merman has their own calling. Be it with the sea, with another, their talents, or their very own lives. Once we hear our calling; then we will go to the ends of the Earth to find it. For me, it was simply the Scottish clan from a thousand years ago. Ironic isn't it? A creature of the seas found her calling in that of creatures of land."

Brooklyn shook his head at the girl. "But I don't get it! You say your calling was for us, but most of my clan are gone. How could you have found something so great about us if we haven't met until now?" He asked in a frustrated tone; flaring his wings out.

Renoir flinched back from the gargoyle's irritated body. "Remember when I said that a part of me died the night of the raid? Well, once merfolk find their calling and loses it, then we lose a part of ourselves. Say that our lives were switched and I was turned to stone, how do you think you'd feel if you stayed close to the castle for a millennium to see if I had awoken?"

Brooklyn looked at Renoir for a moment, and sighed in defeat. "I guess you're right..."

Renoir nodded to her friend, and got up from the bed; wrapping the blanket around her body. "So, are we going or are we going to sit around here to wait for another attack? Personally, I think we should get moving before anything else happens." Renoir stated in a logical tone; moving around him to gather a few of her belongings to take with her. "If I am forced to leave my home, I'll be needing to take some things to keep me out of trouble and I need to leave a note for grandfather to let him know what's going on."

Brooklyn jumped up and waited for Renoir to finish getting ready to leave with him. He was so excited about having Renoir stay with him and his family. It was almost like a dream come true for him! Once Renoir had finished her note, she quickly grabbed her messenger bag and opened the door for her guest to leave; closing it behind her as she followed him; leaving the note posted up on the refrigerator before they made their way up to the top of the houseboat to make their way to Brooklyn's home...


End file.
